Darkness
by xXDemonic AngelXx
Summary: A Reid fic, cus I can. Reid is abused, none of the others knowing. Chase is coming back. Reid doesn't trust Caleb, yet there is a traitor in the group. Caleb wants to find out what Reid is hiding, yet Reid doesn't want to remember...
1. Reid's Response

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Quick Warning...ah, i hate theses things...Well:: Warnings of violence, abuse, language, mentions of rape, umm...yeah. stuff like that. i gave you the warning. now if you choose to read, you've chosen the right side. If not, well, this is not your type of story, hence the title DARKNESS!!!!!! and i mentioned reid was abused. If you choose to read and tell me to lay off and stuff, well, fuck you cus this is my story. and Reid is the main, totured character. So. Have a nice day!

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**-1**

He was hurting again, but it was only in his mind, in his memories. It wasn't as bad though, compared to how it used to be. If his uncle had just left him alone, left him to learn his powers at his own pace...he probably wouldn't have turned out like this.

He heard his phone ring, causing him to stir, become fully conscious. He rummaged around the top of his nightstand, his other arm lying across his eyes. He found it and flipped it open, clicking speaker phone. He placed it on his chest, asking, "Hello?"

"Reid, its Caleb."

"Oh. What?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to Nikki's with me, Sarah, and Tyler. Pouge's off doing something, and I didn't know if you wanted to come entertain Tyler since he'd probably become bored with Sarah and I later on."

Reid paused, trying to ignore the fact that sleep was coming to him. "What time?"

"Eight or so."

"I'll think about it."

"Okay. And Reid?"

"What?"

"Lighten up. You've been acting kind of pissy lately. If you need to talk about it, we'll listen."

"I'm fine. If I need a babysitter, I'll ask." Reid hung up, sighing. He knew what Caleb was talking about though. He _had_ been acting a little bratty so to say recently, but he couldn't help it. Pouge had just ascended, and Tyler was coming in two weeks. After Tyler, Reid had a little over a month. And his uncle was coming in a couple of days. His mother wasn't to happy, and his dad, whenever he and Reid were home at the same time, seemed like he couldn't wait. Only, Reid would be back in school, and hopefully would miss the guy completely.

Reid looked over at his clock, reading 7:23. He sat up, sleep threatening to consume him. Another thing that was bugging him was that all he did this past weekend was sleep. Reid finally dragged himself out of his bed, walking over to his closet. He only wore black pants, almost clashing against his white skin. He flipped through his clothes, wondering if he could find something he wouldn't get hot in.

Finally he decided on black pants and a navy blue t-shirt, finding a black beanie and tossing that on as well. He grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone, leaving his room probably for the third time over the past four days. He jumped down the stairs, saying "Going out," wondering if his mom was home and if she would hear him. He grabbed his leather jacket off of the banister where he had set it the last time he left, and opened the door.

What he expected to see was a clear path to his car that was sitting in the driveway. What he didn't expect to see was his tall, broad uncle getting out of his car. He stood paralyzed, wondering if he could make a dash without getting caught, either to his car or to his room. But his uncle was observant and probably saw Reid as soon as the door opened. He knew the best thing was to sit there, showing his uncle that he was welcome in.

His uncle walked up the steps, a smile lighting his dark face. As soon as he was close enough he said, "Surprised you, didn't I? Well, by the looks of it, you were runnin' out. You're stayin' in tonight boy. Take these." He shoved a bag at Reid, who caught it and instantly felt thirteen again. His uncle was a tall man—six foot three, broad shoulders, muscles all over, and violent. He was strict, and showed no mercy in teaching lessons to Reid. He was in his early forties, gray already at the temples. The one thing Reid hated most about him was his eyes. They were so vibrant a blue that they seemed almost fake. And they almost always held amusement or pleasure. Right now, amusement.

"Mom, uncle's here," Reid called, taking leave to go find the farthest guest room possible.

"I'll take the sun room, Air."

Reid kept his mouth shut, ignoring the name. His uncle used it as his name, meaning that all Reid was to him was a waste of space and well, air. Also, the sun room was at the opposite end of that hall where Reid's room was.

Reid went up the stairs, wishing he could disappear, or he had left five minutes earlier. No, he changed his mind. Yes, he wished he could disappear still, but he was happy he had never left. His uncle would have punished him when he arrived home, and he didn't want to deal with that. He looked up as he reached the room, hearing his mother's voice carry. "Oh, Jarrod! What a pleasant surprise. You're early!"

"Oh, I had nothing to do around the house, and I wasn't scheduled for the week. So I decided to come visit a little early. I hope it isn't a bother."

"Oh, nonsense! Joseph will be thrilled that you're early."

Reid opened the door, looking around the room. The walls were a yellow-orange, windows on the east and north side. The best was in the corner, almost sitting in between the windows. There was a light green rug across the wood floor, giving the impression it was grass. There was a white dresser, white closet, and white nightstand, along with some pictures around the room. Reid ignored the paintings as he set his uncle's bag at the end of the bed on a bench. He turned around, pausing as he saw his uncle standing in the doorway. Reid was trying to push the sudden fear down, his uncle, he guessed, thinking. Finally his uncle entered the room, striding towards Reid. "You haven't grown much. Not eating?"

His uncle reached a hand out and grabbed Reid's shirt collar, lifting him off of the ground. His uncle was skilled at that; Reid's shirts had never been ripped or stretched out. He was soon eyelevel though, trying to calm his breathing down. "You're lucky you're not at my house, or else you would have been punished right away. You put this family to shame. Your clothes, your attitude, your manners. All I taught you has been wasted. But you have me for the next five days before you return to school. Maybe I can manage to drill something back into you."

"Y-yes sir." _Dammit, I stumbled!_

His uncle grinned. "Well, at least something still stuck to you. And I don't mean the sir part."

He dropped Reid, who landed awkwardly and fell down. "Now go before I start hurting you."

Reid scrambled out, shutting the door. He saw his mother at the end of the stairs, her blonde haired tied back, looking a little unusual since her hair was normally down. "Is Jarrod comfortable?"

"Yes, he is. When is dad going to be home?"

"Sometime around three in the morning."

"Okay." Reid went towards his room, wondering if he should stay there, or disappear off to Nikki's. _Fuck Jarrod. This is my life, not his. I can do whatever I damn well please. _Reid checked his pockets then jumped down the stairs, saying to his mother, "I'll be home later. I'm going over to Nikki's. I have my phone."

He raced out the doorway towards his truck, soon tearing out of the driveway towards town.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid needed _something_ to calm his nerves down, whether it be alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, whatever. He chose the first two. He knew Caleb hated his habits, Pouge didn't seem to care, and Tyler just chose not to smoke. Reid rarely smoked though; the habit only seemed to show itself when he was stressed. With drinking though, he knew how to party it up. And wash away his life.

Caleb noticed the difference in Reid when he walked into Nikki's, and wondered why he was arriving closer to nine. Reid usually was never that late. And, he was trying to get alcohol and cigarettes as soon as possible. Caleb hung back with Sarah as Tyler went to Reid, and talked.

"Reid! You're later than normal," Tyler said, Reid turning around in surprise.

"Oh, hey Ty. I just ran into some problems at home."

Reid noticed Tyler eyeing the beer. "Problems?"

"Yeah. It's nothing though. I...just don't want to be completely sober when I go home." _It might help numb the pain. _"Caleb said he and Sarah were going to be here. Where are they?"

Tyler led him towards the back, Reid opening the bottle, the smooth liquid running down his throat being what he needed. He saw Caleb, then noticed he was eyeing the beverage. "Any other time for the lecture Caleb, but not tonight. I don't think I could stand to hear it."

Caleb didn't say anything, but nodded. Caleb inside was wondering why Reid was acting different. Normally, Reid waited for the lecture and mimicked it, while acting like he never heard it before. Despite that, he seemed close to normal, Caleb ignoring the excessive drinking and smoking throughout the night.

They stayed until the bar almost closed, helping Nikki clean up a little. Reid stayed as well, and as tipsy as he was, kept looking at the clock with worried glances. "Reid," Caleb said, as he put up a chair. "You've never stayed this late, unless you were trying to get a girl's number. You've been out of it, as drunk as you are. What's wrong?"

Reid looked at him, eyes slightly unfocused, face a little flushed. "Uh, I, I don't know. Nothing. I haven't been out much, and I don't think I'm gonna hang out for the rest of the break."

"It's spring intermission though! I don't think we'll have another break until school itself is out," Tyler said.

"Hey, I'm trying to be nice, but if you won't accept that, then fuck you. I'm going home. You'll be lucky if you see me alive next week."

Reid tried his best to try to focus on the wavering floor, knowing Caleb, Tyler, and Sarah were watching him, most likely trying to figure out what he just said. He didn't even know what he meant. As he reached the door, he found extra money in his pocket and threw it over his shoulder. "A little extra for the drinks Nikki," he said, the door shutting behind him. He stumbled over to his truck, managing to get in. He put his forehead on the steering wheel, the cool air calming him down. Even through the cloud his mind was in, he still knew what he was going home to. He started his truck, rolled down his windows, and tore out of there. Sober or drunk, he was still a "good driver," in his terms. When drunk, he probably drove the speed limit more than when sober.

He made it home, attempting to be silent. He tripped though on the way up to his front door, banging his knee on the stone steps. He cursed, stood back up and limped the rest of the way up. He opened the front door, closed it, and snuck up to his room, proud that he didn't trip on the way. He went to his room, and turned on the light after he shut the door.

When he looked over, it took him a second to realize who was sitting at his desk. His uncle was there, looking relaxed, amusement jumping in his pure blue eyes. "Jarrod, what are you doing in here?" he asked, unable to reason what was going on.

"You forgot the title. One strike. You were out after curfew. Two strikes. You are obviously not sober. Three strikes. You're just asking to be punished, aren't you? You have lost everything I taught you. I put sleeping pills into your mother's tea, and Joseph won't be home until three a.m. or so. I have three hours to begin teaching you the lessons. "

Reid pressed himself against the door as his uncle stood and came towards him, Reid wishing he didn't come home at all. His drunken stupor was slowly fading, his heart beginning to speed, the nicotine still in his system making his vision seem to slide. His uncle soon put a hand around his throat, sliding him up to the door so he was once more eyelevel with his uncle.

"You reek. You are filth. You bring nothing but disgrace to this family. I hope you realize what we sacrifice to hide your powers, to live here, to send you to that school."

"We? You have nothing to do with this. You were adopted, and then my father happened to come along. You're just jealous the powers were never able to come to you somehow."

The hand pressed tighter, the airflow cutting off. "You don't know. You weren't there. If it weren't for me, your father would most likely have _died._ He was almost addicted to the power by the age of 15. His father never bothered teaching him how to control it. We were left to figure out how to control it, how to use it without abusing. That's why your father left you to me when you turned thirteen."

"Was abuse mentioned though? You ever abuse my dad when he wouldn't listen to you?" Reid choked out.

Face turning red, his uncle threw him across the room, Reid crashing head first into his wall, feeling his skull crack. His uncle waited and listened for a moment before he was convinced Meredith wouldn't come up. Reid was in his little world of pain, managing to pull his beanie off and feel the blood that was slicking his blonde hair. He figured/hoped this would be the worst of it, so his uncle didn't have to worry about waking Reid's mother. He felt himself lifted but the back of his neck, and was pushed onto his bed. Something was placed under his head, him thinking it was a towel so blood wouldn't get on his covers. Smart thinking.

"You ready to have your punishment?"

"Bastard. If my father finds out—"

"You are asking for it, Air. He thinks he knows what type of punishment I give you, so if you say anything, he wouldn't believe you. And I know my brother. Don't forget. I helped raise him. Now...I think I need to stop your talking."

Reid opened his eyes, a blurry picture of his uncle grabbing something meeting his line of sight. He soon felt something pushed into his mouth, then...tape, he realized, wrapping around the gag and his head a couple of times.

"Now, hopefully this will keep you silent. Where to start... Oh yes. A little slapping should do. I'll keep this swift. Maybe no one will notice the marks, but if you get in trouble for not being able to walk, you'll be punished even more."

Reid felt his uncle spread his legs, Reid instinctively pulling them back together. His uncle won though, and sat on his legs near the ankles to hold them open. He felt something slap his inner thigh, hard, the sting reaching through the fabric, spreading. "This is for forgetting the title." A couple of slaps with he guessed a board. "This is for coming home after curfew." On the other leg, harder slaps. After so many, his uncle said, "And this is for not being sober at seventeen." His uncle went full out, Reid biting the rag just as hard as the board was biting his legs. When his uncle was finished, he couldn't feel his legs, and he wasn't about to move. The pain spread to his groin, making it feel as if his uncle had slapped that part as well.

"Now... We need to do something about your attitude, clothes, and manner. I'm going to ask you questions, and each one you get wrong, you'll be punished."

Reid soon learned that it was hard to answer with only nodding and shakes of his head. Shrugs didn't count. This punishment involved punching in random spots, the questions seeming like they were never going to end. At two thirty, his uncle stopped whatever he was doing, often smacking Reid's cut if he was about to pass out, or inflict a deeper cut somewhere along his arm, to make it look like Reid cut.

"I see we're running out of time. It's two thirty, and your father is supposed to be home at three," the voice said to the boy who was wavering on unconsciousness again. "I recommend you take a shower; you're quite dirty. I hope I refreshed your memory. I'll leave you to get the gag off yourself and to the bathroom. It's only across your room."

Chuckling, his uncle left the room, Reid barely able to move. He _did_ need to take the gag off, otherwise he might somehow end up suffocating himself. And the alcohol that was in his stomach didn't take kindly to the punches along his chest. He slowly undid the tape, and pulled the gag—washcloth, out of his mouth, taking deep breaths. He opened his eyes, and attempted to sit up, finding he could...mostly. He didn't think he could walk though. After a couple of minutes of preparing himself he stood up, very shakily. He took one step at a time, and tried to make it to his wall, which he could lean against and follow to his bathroom.

Once he made it, the first thing he did was retch, relieving himself. The next was crawl into the shower stall, turning the water hot, and allow the tears to come.

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oh my, i'm so mean. but, Reid's so easy to hurt, as much as i love him. Omg that boy is hot. lol. so here's a pure abuse fic. I gave you the warning at the top. Need i repeat myself? no. well. the next chapter is going to be caleb, and in a couple, um, chapter 5 it'll be reid's pov again. i want to go into each characters breif life. but it's not very boring, i promise!!! yeah. i'll try to update next asap, but it'll be a little hard, since i'm going to be slammed these next couple of weeks...i'll do my best though!!!! R&R please!!!


	2. Caleb's Cause

**-2-**

Caleb had watched Reid all night chug beer after beer, inhale cigarette after cigarette. Something obviously was wrong, since Reid never tried to kill his body off that quickly. It irritated him, and as well as Tyler, he thought. And after he left, he had thrown twenty-seven dollars for Nikki... Why the man allowed Reid to do that kind of stuff left him confused. Reid was only seventeen, and turned eighteen at the end of April.

Caleb growled in annoyance, shifting his thoughts to Sarah. She seemed kind of distant tonight as well, but he thought only because she was at her home this week, unable to come see the town and her friends as often as she would have liked. He had gotten home a little after one, surprised to see his mother still up. "Mom, what are you doing?" he asked, rushing into the room.

"Recollecting."

"Not about dad, are you? He's gone. It...It really is the best for him." Even as he said it, Caleb felt his heart quicken, his breath catch, eyes water. His father had basically killed himself to give Caleb his powers, a gift Caleb would always embrace. With the combined power, he had been able to defeat Chase, who was, he thought, most likely still around, probably cleaning his wounds, to scared to come back and face the four.

His mother gave a dry laugh. "Yes, thoughts of him are there, but, it's hard to live all by myself."

Caleb went and sat on the chair in front of his mother. She looked withdrawn, but not as she normally did. She normally had tears in her eyes, her posture tenser, a cigarette in one hand, a drink in the other. Tonight she only had the cigarette, her eyes dry, and she seemed a little relaxed. "Mom, I can have other people be here more often. I know we have the normal staff, but we can get someone else if you want."

His mother gave a dry chuckle. "No, no, it's not that. I want to be married again, meet someone new. Get out a little."

This change of attitude surprised Caleb. "Wait—really? That's great!"

Another dry chuckle. "Yes, but its probably an old lady's rambling. Here I am, smoking, drinking every other night, wasting my life away. Your father could always get me outside. I was happy, once upon a time. Now...it's hard. Those memories are fading and I need something to bring them back."

Caleb looked at his mother, smiling. "That's nice. It's good to see you want to get out again."

She looked at him straight in the eyes, saying, "It's all because of you, too, Caleb. You and Sarah remind me of William and I when we were your age. All those years ago. Don't ever abuse your powers, Caleb. Please. It throws your life away, creates a different you."

"I know mom. Don't worry. I'm not planning on ever becoming like that."

"You're a good kid."

The two sat in silence for a little bit, Caleb waiting for her to finish the cigarette. Finally, he said, "You should head to bed, mother. It's too late for you to be up. Only teens can handle this hour."

She smiled. It was small, but it was a smile, and stood up. Caleb stood up as well, following her to her bedroom. She turned towards him, smiling, tears in her eyes. "If your father could truly see how you grew up, he'd be proud. You're a good person, Caleb. Please don't change."

She kissed him on the cheek then disappeared into her room, the door shutting. Caleb went up to his room, thinking. His father had been proud, even though he couldn't really say or show it. Caleb shut his door, found his pajama's, and went into his bathroom. He needed a shower to get the smell off of him from Nikki's, and to think about his mother's words. He was happy she wanted to see people again, but she would have to eventually tell them about Caleb's powers, and have him sworn to secrecy and such. If any type of word spread, Caleb, as well as everyone else, wouldn't know what to do.

According to his family files, it had been hard surviving and not being accused of a witch, as friends were being killed everyday. Would people see them as monsters, and demand that they hang or burn? Or will it spread to the government, and they'll become research puppets until they died?

_No, nothing like that is going to happen. We wouldn't allow it. _I _wouldn't allow it. _He went into the shower, allowing the water to temporarily wash his thoughts away.

XXX——X——XXX

In the morning, Caleb allowed himself to sleep in, but as soon as he was awake, he went downstairs to see if his mother was up. Any other morning she would just be waking up, but as he entered the dining room, he saw she was already eating breakfast. "Good morning, Caleb," she said, a little happier than normal.

"Morning. You're up early."

"I suppose so. I was going to head out today, maybe shop a little."

Caleb grinned, trying not to laugh. "Don't you have enough clothes?"

Caleb was enjoying this new side to his mother, and still wondered what had overcome her. Before, she had stayed inside, rambled, drank, and smoked. Now...this was like the mother he remembered from his childhood. She smiled, still a little gloomy. "Yes, I suppose so. Maybe I can find some to...donate or something."

"That'll be nice. But, I do leave in four days, so, if you want a time frame to find someone before you're alone again, there you are."

His mother absently nodded, drinking what he thought was coffee. Caleb went into the kitchen, seeing the cook that was preparing dinner. He quickly made a bowl of cereal, then heading back into the dining room. He sat in silence, thoughts drifting between Sarah and last night. Reid's character... He couldn't shake off how different Reid was from the normal Reid. Sure, he spoke the same, had the same attitude, but still, something was off. He knew Reid could drink, but how he was asking for those and the cigarettes... Something was off.

Why was he concerned though? Reid was always a trouble-maker, and Caleb quit baling him out of trouble a long time ago. Maybe because he was a Brother, basically family. All for one, one for all. That sort of thing. _I'll call Tyler. Maybe he noticed something. If he didn't then I'm just reading into things._

He finished his cereal and went back to his room, looking for his phone. When he found it, he called Tyler, deciding that the other boy should be up since it was almost eleven. Only Reid and Pouge seemed to have competitions of who could sleep in the longest. They wouldn't be up for at least another hour or so.

"Hello?" he heard, finally.

"Hey Tyler, its Caleb."

"Hey. I was wondering when you were gonna call."

"What?" Tyler lost Caleb.

"Reid. You were calling to talk about him, right?"

"Oh, yeah! You're good. So, you noticed how he acted different too?" Caleb began pacing his room, more out of boredom than anything.

"Yeah, especially when he came in and left. I wonder what happened... I've never seen him so out of it."

Caleb agreed. "Can you think of anything that would put him like that?"

"No. He never lets his guard down and his parents aren't that bad. His grades are fine, and he seemed completely sober when he came in. No girlfriend, no 'maybe' girlfriend, nothing. Yet he was depressed as hell."

Caleb agreed once more. "Should we give him a call? Ask what was going on?"

"At this time of day, I highly doubt it. And he said that he probably couldn't hang out the rest of the week, which is interesting too."

"Especially from him, since he's the one that always wants to go somewhere." Caleb quit pacing his bedroom and sat down on his bed, feeling the smooth black covers under his fingertips. "Let's try this. Why don't you call him since you're better friends, and ask how he's feeling. It can't hurt to try, and you can leave a message if all else fails. Then we can try again later. Sound good?"

"Yeah, that works. Twenty dollars he doesn't answer his phone."

"You're on."

Caleb hung up, wondering why he bet. Usually he left himself out of that, but he had a feeling that Reid would answer. While he waited he wandered over to his closet, deciding what to wear for the day, since he already technically took his morning shower. He heard his phone go off as he was pulling on a red shirt, and went over, surprised to see Pouge's name on the screen. "Hello?" he asked anyway.

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Not much. It's a little surprising though to have you calling me."

"Well, word got around that you seemed distracted last night."

"Oh. It's nothing. Waaaiiiittt...you're up rather early."

"Parents made me today. I know it's strange. And Kate called, so that woke me up as well. Sounded though that you were a little busy last night."

"Nah just had to deal with the drunken-smoked up Reid."

"That's a little unlike him."

"Yeah. Tyler and I are trying to figure out what's on his mind."

"Probably just wanted attention or something. He hasn't picked a fight with anyone for a while."

"No, I don't think so. He just seemed off...distracted all night. Tyler noticed, and obviously Sarah as well."

"Eh, I don't know. Reid has his problems, but we all do."

"You seem a little on edge," Caleb pointed out. _Usually he doesn't try bash Reid this much. I wonder what's going on with him..._

"Lack of sleep. Besides hearing about Reid, Kate and I were wondering if you and Sarah wanted to go to dinner with us later this week."

"Oh, yeah, that'd be fine. I'm sure Sarah already knows, and she and I would love to go with the two of you. I gotta go though, Tyler's calling me back. I'll call you later and see what Sarah says, even though it'll be a yes."

"Okay, later."

"Later."

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hehehe...welll...here's this...lol. i'm sorry, it's a little short, but i kinda have a hard time writing from caleb's pov. the next couple of chapters should be fun though. If you stay after this one, it starts getting good. the next chap is going to be from tylers pov, so yeah. no idea when i'm gonna update next though. i'm not gonna be home from thursday to monday, and i wont have a computer where i'm going...as far as i know. XP that makes me mad. so yeah...and this story is competing with my harry potter fanfic, so yeah...this is gonna create some problems, lol. woot. so, thanks to all of you who reviewed and stuff, i really appreciate it!!!!!!! Thanks!!!!

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	3. Tyler's Troubles

**--3-**

Tyler hung up with Caleb, sighing. He had a feeling that Reid would pick up the phone, and he'd owe Caleb twenty dollars. The phone rang three times, Reid picking up on the fourth. "Hello?"

"Wow, you're up. That's a change." Tyler was silently punching himself for betting, though he was happy Reid answered. Now, he had to coax Reid into talking...

"Oh, hey Ty. Umm...I don't know. Just felt like getting up early."

_Something's wrong. He's...mellow. No spunk, smartass, happiness... What's wrong? _"Ah, that's cool. I was wondering, what was up with last night? You seemed off."

A short pause. "Off?"

"Yeah. You seemed withdrawn, even though you tried covering up with the excessive drinking and smoking. I've never seen you like that before."

"Oh. Umm... It was nothing. I was worried about something b-but it was for nothing." The stutter was very quick, Tyler almost not catching it.

"Oh, well, that's good then. And why did you say what you did about probably not being unable to hang out with us, or even alive by the end of the week?"

Reid laughed, but Tyler thought it sounded forced. "Dude, you believed that? I was drunk. I say funny things when I'm out of it."

"It wasn't funny, and you were serious." Tyler face, as well as voice, was hard and he hoped Reid could read his expression through his voice.

"Look, Tyler, I'm sorry if I scared you guys or whatever last night. I was just worried about something and the problem was solved. It's no biggie. I don't think I'll be able to hang out with you guys until school starts though. And I gotta go. I'll umm...talk to you later."

Tyler barely got out "later" before Reid hung up. He pressed Caleb's number, calling him back. Something definitely wasn't right.

Finally, "Hey."

"Do I really owe you twenty?"

"Damn straight. So he answered?"

"Yeah. Something isn't right. He said he was worried about something, but it wasn't really any problem. He stuttered too, which shows he was lying. He never stutters. I've never seen, well, heard him this out of it."

"Same here. Did you tell him that I had called you?"

"No. I made it sound like I only noticed, which he bought. He said he was joking about the whole 'he's gonna die' thing, but he can't hang out the rest of the break."

"Interesting... Usually he's allowed to do whatever when and with whoever he wants."

"Yeah...something's wrong, and I can't figure it out. I wonder if we can force it out of him."

Caleb thought, Tyler finally hearing him say, "He's our Brother. As much as we care for each other, he can tell us when he's ready. If something is off when school starts, don't mention anything right away. If it lasts over a week, then we can start pressing."

"It's harder when you're dorm mates though."

"That's true. Well, maybe it would be better if you talked one on one with him personally. I don't think he'll talk to me, and definitely not Pouge. Well, not with how Pouge has been acting lately."

That through Tyler off. "Wait...how has he been acting? I thought those two were friends, if on an odd level?"

He heard Caleb sigh. "Pouge's not in the best of attitudes with Reid at the moment. I have no idea about what though. He's saying that Reid wants attention and stuff."

Tyler was quiet, thinking. "You've, or well, he's got a point, only Reid doesn't go this far. I'm Reid's best friend, and something is going on that he doesn't like. I just wish he'd tell me."

"Give it time, and we'll figure it out. But you owe me. Don't forget.

"Dammit Caleb. Don't remind me."

"Good, I lightened the mood. I gotta call Sarah and ask her something, but try to call Reid later today or tomorrow. I'll call you later."

"Okay. Well, talk to you later then."

"See ya."

Tyler hung up his phone, falling onto his bed. He stared at the ceiling, wondering if Reid was really having problems, or if he was faking it. He sounded...like he was lying. But... Something was off. He wanted to go see Reid himself, to see with his own eyes if the blonde was okay. Reid was a Brother. They all had to take care of each other.

"Tyler, I'm going into town," his mother's voice called, managing to pierce through the closed door. He stood up and walked over, opened it, and heard "I'll be back in time for dinner. Your father wants you here tonight."

Tyler walked to the top of the staircase, seeing his mother at the bottom of the stairs, dressing like every other day: clothes screaming she was rich. Once upon a time she tried to get Tyler's father to move; only it failed when she found out what he could do. It didn't stop her from spending his money, driving to all the larger towns to buy what she "needed," so to say.

All in all, Tyler hated his mother, his father not far down the line, even if the man was more down to Earth than the bitch he married. "Okay mom, I'll be home."

Compared to everyone else's parents, he might as well have been tied down. Compared to most other people, he was a free bird, his friends eagles. His father didn't care what he did, as did his grandfather to his father, and the father before him. His mother though liked to be in control. She learned to weave her father into her control, into her wants. She bought expensive things, wanted the richest foods, the most perfect life imaginable. Throughout the years, she's only managed to achieved the expensive things.

Tyler's father _did_ keep watch over how much she spent, even if she was only making a small dent. If she became too greedy he'd take away her credit cards (he was excellent at finding them; one of things he learned to do with his powers), and she always _hated_ it, claimed she was being grounded. He claimed she was acting like a spoiled brat and he'd quit treating her like a baby when she grew up.

Tyler smiled as he entered his room. _Dad's had some of the best one-liners whenever they get into fights. I wish he didn't let her walk over him most of the time though. Then maybe I could hang out with everyone more. She doesn't understand our Brotherhood though. It's not really all for one, one for all, when one's not going to be there. You'd think she'd pick it up after seventeen years, but oh well. Once I graduate, I'll be out of here._

He laid on his bed, deciding what to do the rest of the day. He wanted to go into town, but without Reid it wasn't as fun. Caleb had Sarah and Pouge had Kate. Maybe he could go out and find a... _Dammit! I have homework. Might as well work on that. Hopefully someone will want to hang out later..._

He found his backpack, then found his homework. Out of his friends, he was known as the "nerd," or at least the only one who would pull out homework when bored to death.

XXX——X——XXX

"Tyler! Dinner's ready!" He put his essay down, making a note of what thoughts he had on his mind before he forgot. "Tyler!"

"Coming!" he yelled, annoyed. _If dad doesn't do anything...something's going to happen one of these days. _

He ran down the stairs, jogging to the dining hall through a couple of rooms. His mother preferred him to use the wandering-forever taking hallway, so he didn't "get the carpet dirty or accidentally bump something over."

He entered the dining room, his mother looking at him. "Did you cut through the rooms?"

"I'm here, aren't I? Why does it matter which way I use? As far as you could know, I flew here."

That came out wrong. "You use your powers for personal gain in this house?" she asked/yelled, face growing darker.

"Now, now Rosalind, calm down." His father turned to Tyler. "Tyler, did you fly, cut through the rooms, or take the hallway?"

"Cut through the rooms since I'm not wearing any shoes."

His mother, still fuming, said, "Well, you can still leave dirty marks—"

Tyler made an exasperated sigh, saying. "First off, the carpets _aren't white. _So dirt doesn't show as easily. Second, we pay _how much_ to have this place cleaned every week? And third, the rooms are used so little, I think a little color will make it look like we do inhabit this place."

Tyler looked straight into his mother's eyes, but saw the hidden grin on his father's face. _Glad he's getting amusement out of this,_ he thought as his mother said, "What do you know? How do you know how much it costs to clean this house? A little spot costs that much more. And one day, after you leave, this house will be used much more."

Tyler turned to his father, appearing calm. "And dad, what do you think of me running through the rooms?"

"No comment."

"Smart."

His mother looked at him, then at his father, keeping her mouth shut, obviously unknowing what to say to "no comment." Finally, "So Glenn, you don't have any say of this, of what _your_ son does to _this _house?"

_It's almost a fricken mansion, lady. _Tyler sighed and took this opportunity to eat his cooling food before his father found a point to turn it back on Tyler. By the time the argument ended, both would most likely have their food eaten, his mother only having eaten a few bites.

Finally, "Look Rosalind, this is _my_ mansion, _my _money, and they should be _my _rules. You abuse everything, and get away with only God knows what. What would you do if I dumped you out on the streets with nothing but the clothes on your back?"

Tyler thought his mother would be shocked. She surprised him though. Her face turned hard, saying, "I'd go to the police. I'd tell them what you did, and about Tyler and his friends."

"That's what I thought, and that is why I put up with you."

Tyler's mother glared at the two of them before she remembered about the food in front of her. The two men waited for her to finish, then got up as soon as they could and left the room, Tyler noticing his father take special care to walk through the rooms.

Tyler headed straight towards his room, jumping onto his computer to begib typing the essay. When he found an email from Reid though, he became confused. He opened it, wondering when Reid had learned to use a computer. _Oh, right, when he had to type up essays. I taught him, so I should know..._ He opened the message, surprised at what he saw.

_To one it seems like nothing  
To another it means something  
Lost, hurt, full of doubt  
Unknowing of what this is about._

_He came over and rushed  
He came over and crushed  
First it was just a slay  
And then it became a flay. _

_I can't stop it  
I can't even sit  
He knows what I fear  
He sees it oh so clear_

_I wish I could say a word  
Knowing that even alone I could be assured  
But here he comes, goodbye, goodbye  
I'll pray that tonight I do not die._

"Nonono, Reid, what the fuck is this?!" Tyler yelled, unknowing what to do. He forwarded it to Caleb and Pouge, then scrambled up to find his phone. It was on his dresser, which caused him to knock half of the other bits and pieces on top off. His hands were shaking as he called Caleb. "Pick up, pick up, pick up—" Finally, a click. "Caleb?" he asked, frantic, hoping his friend was near the computer.

"Hello? Tyler?"

"Caleb! Oh thank god..."

"What is it? Calm down. What's wrong?"

"You better be near a goddamned computer."

"Uh, one sec." Pause. "Okay. What's so urgent?"

"Check your email."

He heard clicking in the background, as he paced his room, wishing he would go faster. But he had to be realistic and remember that this was still reality, so the internet was slow, and he probably had to boot up his computer. Oh, how he wished this was a messed up dream that he would wake up from any second now... "The one you sent me?"

"Yeah."

Pause, then... "Mother fucker, what happened?!"

"I don't know, but I'm worried. I don't know what to do, I don't know what happened, what's happening...I don't know anything! I'm supposed to be his best friend, and here I receive this!"

"Tyler, calm down. This I think relates to whatever was wrong last night. We need to see him, make sure he's all right."

"I, I can do that. I can go over, since, once more, I don't think you're supposed to know."

"Are you sure you can manage to stay calm and in control, just in case something _is_ wrong and he can't out right say anything?"

"Yeah...yeah, I can do that."

"Tyler!"

"Yes, Caleb, I can do it. I promise. I'll find out what's wrong."

"Good. That's the tone I needed to hear. Call me when you find _something_ out, please?"

"Sure. And I sent the message to Pouge, so hopefully he...doesn't call me or anything in the next half hour or so."

"I don't think he will... He doesn't get on until late."

"Okay. Well... I better go. I don't want to get in trouble."

"Right. Talk to you soon."

"Later."

He made sure he had his his keys, wallet, phone, and looked around for anything else that might be important. Nope. He rushed out of the room, unseeing the new message from Reid that came.

XXX——X——XXX

The drive around town was longer than normal, it seemed. Tyler had ignored his screaming mother and tore out of his driveway as soon as he could, glad he drove a manual. That way, he could grip on to something tightly, and slam into the gears, which slowly helped calm him down out of his frenzied state.

When he made it to Reid's place, he ran to the front door, ringing the doorbell twice, more so on accident. Finally, the door opened, Reid's mother answering. "Oh, Tyler, good evening."

"Hello Mrs. Garwin. Is, um, Reid around? I have something to ask him. Sorry this is random and I'm dropping in like this."

Meredith nodded, letting him come in. "It's no problem. I can't imagine what you're doing on this side of town though...Well, anyway..." She shut the door and walked towards the stairs and up a couple of steps. "Reid! You have a visitor. Hurry up now." She turned back to Tyler. "He should be down in just a second, dear. Can I offer you anything to drink?"

"No thanks ma'am. I'm fine."

She nodded and began walking away. "If he doesn't come down soon, feel free to go up and bother him."

Tyler smiled at the last part, waiting a minute even though he could have sworn it was near a half hour. When he was about to go up, he saw Reid was at the top of the stairs, almost stumbling down when he saw Tyler. Tyler was going to help him, but his friend gestured for him to stay right where he was. Reid came down, carefully, and as soon as he could, he raced to Tyler and pushed him against the wall. "What are you doing?" he growled, voice a little hoarse, eyes bloodshot.

"What that hell was I supposed to do?!" Tyler replied, keeping quiet once Reid tried to cover Tyler's mouth. "I got your message. What the fuck is up?"

Reid's face fell. "Wait—which message?"

"What do mean 'which message?' The death one!"

Reid's face turned even whiter. "You weren't supposed to read that."

"Reid, what's going on? Obviously something is, and _I want to help you."_

"Y-you can't help this. I brought it on myself. I-I've had this coming to me for awhile now. It can't be helped."

Tyler studied Reid's face. His facial expression was slightly worried, maybe even a little calm. His eyes though were screaming. They held pain, fear, anger, sadness... Anything that involved being hurt and scared. Reid was never scared. His skin was white, almost sick-looking. His voice was rough, like he was trying to keep something back. Was he hiding his fear? What was he afraid of? What would crash his friend's defenses and bring him down like this? "What the hell are you talking about Reid? You're scaring, as well as angering me."

"I can't explain anything. You just need to go. You shouldn't have even come." Reid grabbed Tyler by the collar and quickly shoved him towards the door, then pushed him out. "I'll see you when school starts."

The last look that Tyler got of Reid was of Reid shaking, his face begging Tyler to forgive him. The door shut, leaving Tyler confused, angry, and worried. He was about to head back towards the door, but thought better and headed towards his car, just as his phone began to ring. He answered it, seeing it was Pouge. "Hey," he said, sliding into his car, soon driving down the road.

"Don't 'hey' me like nothing is wrong. What the fuck was the email you sent me?"

"I don't know anymore. It was from Reid, and I sent it to you and Caleb. I just had a very confusing chat with Reid, and I'm very out of it."

"Well, I'm ready to punch him, and figure out what is going on. Everything is confusing, and he's the center of it."

"I know this, but there's nothing we can do. Or at least until school starts again. But, I'm afraid by then that whatever is going on is going to mess Reid up. You should be worried, but you aren't."

"That's because he's an asshole who thinks the world revolves around him."

"Pouge, pull your head out of your ass!" Tyler yelled as he slammed into fifth, his anger soaring with his speed. "This goddamn Covenant doesn't revolve around _you_! I don't know what happened between you and Reid, but I'm fucking sick of hearing about it. We're Brothers, and we need to stick together. Things have been tough for all of us, especially when Chase was around. But things were smooth until you ascended."

"That's because my eyes were opened."

"Yeah, to the pathway of Hell. _Ah shit!"_

Tyler dropped his phone and slammed on the breaks, trying any way to slow his car down. He ran a stop sign, and at the last second noticed the other car, him slamming into its front as it pulled out onto the street.

As he slammed into the other car, Tyler felt his car began to lift and tilt, beginning to land on the driver's side. As the airbag smacked him in the chest and burning his arms, the slam came, glass exploding and sending bite sized shards across his face and any other open skin. He felt the seatbelt cut into him as his car frame crunched in, the grinding metal on asphalt filling his ears. He thought the car was slightly rotating, but the crash onto the ground had thrown his senses off. He felt the car roll onto the roof, then there was no movement. He thought he could hear Pouge yelling his name, and dimly reached his hand...to his roof, reaching over and grabbing his phone.

"Hey...I can't talk...sorta...out of it..." He hung up, blackness greeting him.

* * *

hehe, well...here this chapter is. so...there's reid. he's still alive. and the poem-thing...ALL MINE!!!!!!! lol. i love writing depressing fics...so much fun. well...yeah, the poem (i think) does a good job illistrating how he's feeling, since you wont see him for another chapter. soo...this chapter's here sooner than i was planning, and now my harry potter reviewers are going to be mad that this is updated sooner than that story...whoops. I'll try to update this soon, but no promises...i think i have a busy week coming up...not so sure though. so. yeah. next chapter is pouge. his is kinda...meh. not a favorite...sorta.  
oh, and tyler's fights with his mom i hope come out really clear, cus it's mainly based off of my fights with my mom, and tylers dad is like my dad. The fights aren't exactly alike, but (I, at least) can feel the annoyance and stuff...so yeah and there'll be more fights in the near future, hehe...  
Thank you to my reviewers!!!! i'm enjoying this answering-thing, lol. shutting up now...UNTIL NEXT TIME!!! 


	4. Pouge's Problem

--4--

The grinding sound filled Pouge's ears, causing him to hold the phone away. "Tyler!" he yelled, right after hearing his friend say, "Yeah, to the pathway of Hell. _Ah shit!"_

"Tyler, Tyler!" He heard Tyler yelling, and he guessed Tyler crashed into something. When there was no noise, Pouge began calling his friend's name again. "Tyler! Tyler!"

A scrape, then, "Hey...I can't talk...sorta...out of it..." There was a click, the line going dead.

Pouge stared at his phone, having a hard time realizing he heard Tyler, his responsible friend, his _Brother_ get into a car wreck, and claim he was "sort of out of it." Pouge ran out of his room after checking he had everything he needed, and went towards his car, deciding the roads were a little to wet and dangerous for his bike, (he didn't want to get into another accident when one friend just got in one), and then decided which way to take to Reid's. _Tyler lives on the north side of town, Reid on the east, me in the south, Caleb on the west. Spenser's the north-center, so...back road wise, he probably took Larking since that head's pretty much east..._

Pouge tore out of his driveway, heading northeast. He thought he could hear police cars and ambulances, and decided to follow that noise. He was right; the cars were heading towards Larking Rd. He followed them, but only stayed a little over the speed limit. He didn't want to risk being pulled over. Finally, he saw the flashing lights, and stopped on the side, quickly getting out. Pieces of Tyler's car littered the street. The speed limit was forty-five out here, and by the look of things, Tyler had to be going at least seventy, if not more. He ran to the barricade of officers, seeing firefighters making their way towards Tyler's car, which had stopped in a ditch.

An officer finally noticed Pouge, quickly saying, "You can't be here sir, you need to leave."

Pouge decided what to say, to ensure that he could see Tyler. "He's my brother!" If he needed to figure out how to get out of the "lie," he decided it'd be easy enough. "I have to make sure he's all right!"

The officer nodded, then said, "Okay, I'll allow you to come no father than the ambulance. How did you know about the accident?"

Pouge decided there was no way to get out of this one, so he answered truthfully...mostly. "He called me, telling me he'd be home shortly. A friend of ours isn't feeling well, so he went to check on him. I never knew he sped...well, a lot. Obviously something was on his mind when he called..."

Pouge was pleased with his performance, but a little disgusted at the sappiness, and how he was making Tyler look like the victim, when it was really him who put Tyler into the bad mood. He hated anything like this, though he couldn't believe he managed to pull it off.

He then saw a stretcher pulled off of the ambulance and carried over to the car. He saw Tyler slowly pulled out, obviously unconscious. He was laid on the stretcher, then carried over to the ambulance. Blood was lining the left side of his face, a jagged cut visible across his forehead. The ambulance soon rushed off, the fire truck staying behind, though an officer followed. The remaining officers continued looking around the scene, while the one from earlier told him he could follow the ambulance. Pouge ran to his car, soon following the ambulance...sort of. He could see the flashing lights at least, and he guessed they were going towards the main hospital in Ipswich.

He decided to wait to call Caleb, in case the boy freaked out, or Pouge lost sight of the ambulance. Thirty minutes later he was sitting outside of Tyler's room, while the doctor's cleaned him up. He hadn't been hurt badly, but he had received several scrapes and cuts, and his wrist was fractured. Pouge calmed down, deciding to call Caleb.

Caleb answered on the second ring, surprising Pouge. "Hey, what's up?"

"Shit, that's what's up. Tyler's in the hospital."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me. Tyler got into a car wreck while he and I were fighting about Reid. So, it's really my fault. I think he'll be okay though. He has a bunch of scrapes and cuts, and fractured wrist."

"Shit. Reid doesn't need to find out about this. He'll think it was his fault..."

"It sort of is. If he wasn't planning on pulling this crap, then this wouldn't have happened."

"Pouge, shut the hell up! You don't know shit, as do the rest of us! I saw that email too, and I'm confused as hell. Reid obviously has some issues, but he's pretending that nothing is wrong! I can't stand it. And I suppose Tyler didn't tell you anything?"

"Well, he only said that he was confused about what was going on. He did talk to Reid, but he didn't tell me anything about it. He was out of it when he left, and then I called him, and we started fighting. And he drives a clutch. I'm surprised he could work the stupid thing with that many thoughts on his mind."

"I suppose the car is trashed though now?"

"Definitely. He's going to be a little upset it's gone."

Caleb gave a dry laugh. "He's gonna be pissed in other words. He liked that car a lot. My mustang I love, your bike you love, and his dodge, he liked. Hopefully his parents will allow him to get another car..."

"With that bitch as his mom? No, I don't think so. His dad might, but his mother's a very dominant figure."

"That's true. So. You're at the hospital, right?"

"Yeah. I'm in the general emergency ward. It's on the first floor. Walk through the entrance, turn right, go straight to the end of the hall, take a left, walk to the second hallway on your left and take that down. You should see me."

"Okay, so right, end, left, second left."

"Right."

"Okay, see ya soon."

Pouge hung up, dropping his hands between his knees. There were too many people to blame. It was mostly his fault though, and what Tyler had told him didn't make him feel any better.

"_But things were smooth until you ascended."_

"_That's because my eyes were opened."_

"_Yeah, to the pathway of Hell."_

He felt ridiculous for saying what he did, and what Tyler told him made him feel even worse. It was true though, what he told Tyler... After he ascended, Reid, to him, seemed like a fake. Everything he did was for attention. But, did he do it for a different reason? _I automatically assumed it was because he was selfish. But what if he was doing it because he was hurt, because he was feeling unloved?_

The more Pouge thought about it, he realized he noticed the change of attitude after Reid had turned thirteen. It was hard to remember the exact time, but it was definitely after his birthday. He already had the comments for most things, but then the tough attitude came along. He was always getting into trouble, or trying to. It was like he enjoyed the pain...enjoyed the rush of avoiding being hit. If he lost, he'd shrug his shoulders, and claim he'd been too slow, but he'd win next time. He won more fights than lost through the sixth to ninth grade years. As a sophomore, he seemed to quit, still getting into one once in a while to loosen up, same with his junior year. This past year, though, he didn't have any. He had come close a couple of times with the prick Aaron, but still held back. This change was interesting.

Pouge looked up, hearing footsteps. He saw Caleb, and gave a grim smile. "How is he?" Caleb asked as he got closer.

"Surviving. They think I'm his brother, so I'm getting reports."

Caleb's eyes widened. How'd you come up with that?"

"Well, if you think about it, we are, just not by blood." Soon Caleb's grin was matching Pouge's.

"Oh really now? Yeah, that's true. How are you going to get out of it?"

"Just say we've known each other our entire life, so we're basically brothers, and we've always been there for each other. So it's simple reaction in a situation like that."

Caleb nodded. "I suppose that works. And Reid doesn't know about this?"

"No. I... need to apologize to him though."

He could feel Caleb's eyes scanning the back of his head as he looked at the ground. "Why do you say that?"

"I've been seeing the wrong view of him. When I...matured...I saw through Reid's act. I knew he wanted attention, but I took it the wrong way. I thought he was being selfish, but it was really a cover. I think it was after he turned thirteen. That was when he picked up fighting."

He chanced a look up, then saw the thoughtful look on Caleb's face. Caleb sat down, Pouge meeting his eyes and wondering what the other teen was thinking. "I wondered about that too. I noticed the change in attitude, even though it was very subtle. I didn't think much of the fighting though. I thought he wanted something to do. He...treated it like a hobby, I guess. If he lost, he figured out what he did wrong, and fixed it. He was different about it than most other people. And he was gone a lot over the breaks. He'd always come back with some scars to show us, and have fun explaining the fights. He's an interesting kid, Reid."

Pouge nodded as the nurse came out of the room. She looked at Caleb, Pouge saying "He's a friend of Tyler's. He was worried, so he came too."

The nurse nodded, though said, "Well, he's awake, so family members are allowed to visit first."

Caleb glanced at Pouge, the teen nodding and heading towards the room. As much as Pouge wanted to cu t the act before he became to deep to get out, he had to apologize to Tyler.

He saw the brunette on one of the single person beds, the metal handle bars barricading him in. He looked sleepy, the blue eyes often shutting, but opening soon after. He looked confused when Pouge came in though. "Only family is supposed to come in. Are you the brother they said was here?"

"Well, if you think about it, we are brothers... And I'm gonna cut the lie as soon as I apologize. Tyler, I'm sorry for how I acted over the phone. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have crashed. I made you angry, which caused you to become blind... All of it is my fault. I thought about it, and realized that I was seeing Reid under the wrong light. I looked at him the way that I wanted to believe."

"And what would that be?" Tyler's voice was weak and soft.

"I saw him either as a selfish brat, or someone who was hurting. Once you think about it, you can't picture Reid in pain. So I stuck to the realistic selfish brat path. And I picked the wrong one."

Tyler nodded. "I accept your apology. You aren't completely to blame though. _I _was driving, wasn't I? I should have paid more attention to the road, then what you were saying—no offense. And I sure as hell shouldn't have been going that fast. I hope the other person was okay."

Pouge nodded. "They were. The front of their car was ruined. It looked brand new though, considering the years."

Tyler groaned. "I liked my car though... I don't wanna look at how much all of this is going to cost at the end."

"Well, this time pick a car you love. Just ask your dad."

Tyler gave a dry laugh. "Well, it's more difficult than it sounds..."

Pouge nodded and looked at Caleb through the semi-see through glass window. Or through the part he could see out of. Caleb looked slightly annoyed, but smiled once he caught Pouge's eye. Pouge turned back towards Tyler, grinning. "I think Caleb wants to come in. Probably wants to know about Reid. I get the picture that he's hurt and needs help. If I find out what's going on though... That's going to be a dark day."

Tyler nodded. "You're going to either have to fight to get there first, or wait in line. I get first hit, and you'll have to fight Caleb to see who gets second. Maybe I'll let Reid get a hit in or two."

Pouge was confused. "You make it sound like he was abused."

"I'm not suggesting anything, or trying not to. I don't think it's that, because he has nice parents—"

"Your mom's nice around other people."

"Ignoring that. Just wait until she shuts the door. But I'm unsure of what is causing Reid pain, or, whatever. I don't like _it_ though."

Pouge shook his head. "If it does involve something around abuse, I'd be surprised, since you're the only one who has the parents, or mom really, mean enough to do it." A quick look into Tyler's eyes. "No offense meant, Bro."

"None taken. I see it as that though. Sometimes she want's to hit me. I can tell, but it's everything to hold back. I think she's slapped me once, but that's because I asked her if she was a bitch. She slapped me, _then _asked where I heard it. I told her it was from some older kids, saying their moms were a bitch." Tyler closed his eyes and smiled. "The look on her face was classic."

Pouge nodded, then stood up. "I feel better now that I know you're going to be okay. Hopefully you do too. I'll send Caleb in. Hopefully you'll be out of here soon."

"Day or two."

Pouge grinned, as well as Tyler. "At least you have something to look forwards to."

Pouge left the small area and went out the door, Caleb looking towards him, changing his stance. "Is he okay?"

"Just a chatterbox like usual."

Caleb laughed. Tyler was always the quiet one, and if he spoke more than five words at once, he was called a chatterbox, Pouge coming up with the name back in third grade, he thought.

Grinning, Caleb said, "Well, the nurse said I could visit for a little bit, but I'll try to keep it shorter than yours."

Caleb went into the room, Pouge sitting down and resting his head against the wall. He waited for Caleb to finish the interrogation, soon leaving after the other brunette was done. They were both allowed to come back the next day, which Pouge thought they'd end up doing. The two left the hospital, Pouge feeling a slight mist coming down. He was glad he picked tonight to drive his car. He didn't need to worry about slipping on the roads.

He drove back to his house, taking random roads that headed south. Once he reached the mini-mansion, he sighed and got out. His parents were most likely in bed, but there was a chance they'd still be up, drinking tea or waiting for him. Out of the group, his parents were the most old fashioned. They rarely drank coffee, waited for him to come home, drilled manners of all sorts into him, preferred quiet noise to TV, loved reading and smooth music. In general, they hated most things in Pouge's life.

He pushed open the front door, following the light towards the living room. They owned a private pond, the wall of windows in the living room displaying the reflection of the moon and surroundings on the water. His parents were drinking tea and reading. His parents seemed to look up together, smiling. "You're home," his mother said.

"What made you rush out? Someone in trouble?" his father asked.

"Tyler got into a car wreck. He probably could have Used to save himself, but he didn't see it coming, since I was yelling at him."

Pouge could see questions forming in his parents eyes. "Is he going to be okay?" his mother asked, while his father asked, "Why were you yelling at him?"

"He's going to be okay—he only has some cuts and scrapes and a fractured wrist. And we were fighting over something stupid that angered me. Now I feel like a moron."

"He didn't Use, though, did he?" his father asked, curious.

"No. Well, he might have a little to cut down the injuries, but it was probably accidental."

His parents nodded, and seemed to let it lie at that. He said goodnight, even though he wasn't going to bed anytime soon. The first thing he did was see if Kate was online, even if he preferred to talk over the phone. She wasn't on, so he changed his clothes, preparing for bed. If he became bored enough, he could read, or even do homework, but he figured she would be on shortly.

He was right. A couple of minutes later, she signed on, him instantly saying hey.

** ShadowkiTTy says: **_Hey honey. what's up?  
_** DarkRider says: **_Not much. Learned that Reid's depressed, got Tyler into a car wreck, the norm.  
_** ShadowkiTTy says: **_What?! omg! Is Tyler ok?  
_** DarkRider says: **_Yeah, he'll be fine. its nothing major._  
** ShadowkiTTy says: **_Ok, that's good. wow...anything else?_

He talked with her, Kate wondering if Caleb wanted to go on a double date on Thursday or Friday, or really any time that suited all of them. Pouge and her chatted late into the night, since both decided this was a much cheaper way than talking on the phone for hours.

* * *

Well, here's this chapter. Sorry it took so long to get out out!!! And in this story, tyler doesn't have a hummer. he has a smaller car, a dodge...something. i haven't decided on it yet. damn, i have to go car-looking. oh well. lol. i'll try to have to the next chapter out soon. and yeah...i have a hard time writing for pouge and caleb, so there wont be a whole lot of chapters for them. Some, but not as often as say, reid or tyler. XD well...Reid's back in the next chapter!!!!!!!! yays!!!!! So, prepare for the abuse...hehehehehe. yea...thanks to all of you who are reviewing!!!! You really make my day, and if you review, i will reply, since i think it's fun...hehe.


	5. Content to Hit

---5--

Reid laid on his floor, wavering on unconsciousness. His uncle hadn't been back, and Reid was wondering if he would be able to move once school started again. His uncle had been there for two days, so...four more days until school started, he thought. His uncle had hurt him, while drilling the lessons back into him._ After Tyler came over though, he's been even harsher. He wonders how I have friends, even if they are my Brothers...wonders how they control their power without being properly taught..._

Reid knew he was told to take a shower to clean up, then sleep, but he couldn't move. He had only seen his parents once since his uncle came, and afterwards was basically forced to stay in his room. His uncle often beat him at night, beginning after dinner. Whenever he was conscious and could move, he'd sneak downstairs and find something to eat, not seeing his parents or uncle. He couldn't really hold much, but liquids seemed easier to obtain and keep down.

He slept for awhile, the next bout of consciousness coming around noon, according to his clock. He decided to try moving, so he could clean himself up and sleep another six or so hours on his bed. If he was lucky, he could get eight or nine. He moved, heading towards his closet and grabbing the first things he could. Boxers, red shirt, dark green warm-ups. He went into the bathroom, stripped, then looked at his injuries. _For being however long, I'm healing pretty well._

His upper thighs still showed the paddle from the first night, and those marks were just beginning to bruise very nastily. His left arm had cuts spreading up and down it, and some other bruises were forming around his body, mainly on his chest. On his back he knew there were two lines, forming an X. His uncle had used a belt, saying the X was to show he was weak. He knew though that his punishment from the lessons would be on his chest and the top of his legs.

_How many more nights of this? _he wondered, stepping into the warm water. He became cold easily, even though the cold water felt better. The warm water though helped drag the pain away longer, once all of the stinging was gone. And he could cry. He cried for his pain, he cried for his mother and father since he couldn't seem to see them, and he cried for his friends, whom he couldn't tell what was happening to him.

He finished his shower, feeling a little refreshed. When he dried off and dressed, he went back into his dark room, his bed looking very inviting. He went towards his door though, and headed towards the kitchen. Maybe he'd see a parent. As much as his mom didn't really seem it, she loved it when he was home and was disappointed when she never saw him. She never came to his room though. He heard her once say it was his domain, and he had the right to be his own person and do whatever he wanted...as long as his grades stayed high and he didn't become demanding.

Reid made it to the kitchen, but became sick of whatever he saw. Everything had to much smell, to much visual description. He opened the refrigerator though, still looking around. He grabbed a bottle of juice, and decided on an apple. It was something small, something healthy, and something that didn't have an overwhelming smell. He stayed in the kitchen, hoping a parent would come in. _Maybe I should just look for one. Maybe mom's home. I could tell her I haven't been feeling well... In a way, it is true... Lack of appetite, lots of sleep, yeah. I'll go with that. I hate making excuses though. Well, to her at least. And the Brothers. _

He finished most of the apple and took a bottle of fruit juice, heading towards his mom's office. With luck, she'd be there, and his uncle would be out of the house with his father along. And, with luck, she was in her office, his uncle no where to be seen. Reid knocked on the doorframe, leaning part way in, most of his weight on the doorframe. "Hey mom."

She looked at him, surprised. "You came out of your room! I haven't seen you since Jarrod has been here."

He managed to suppress a wince. "Yeah. I think I'm sick. I haven't been feeling well. I might have picked up something when I went to Nikki's."

His mother stood up, coming over to him. "Oh honey, I wish you wouldn't go to that dreadful place, as much as you love it." She put a hand on his forehead. "Well, you feel a little warm. Why don't you get something to eat?"

"I already ate. Thanks though. I usually grab food when I'm hungry. What is the saying—starve a cold, feed a fever? I probably have a cold, so not eating is a good idea I guess."

His mother looked at him, deciding whether or not to trust what he said. "Well...all right. If you want anything, just let me know. It's what mom's are for, and I don't want you feeling bad when you go back to school."

"I'm pretty sure it'll be gone by then. I jut wanted to let you know that though. Hopefully you'll accept my apology for not being out of my room much this break."

His mother hugged him, saying, "Oh, honey, it's okay. I accept. Go get some rest then. Next time you're out of your room, let me know."

She stepped away, tucking a long lock of blonde hair behind her ear. Reid gazed into her blue eyes, nodding. He began to head back to his cell, but turned around, thinking of something. "Wait—one question. Where's uncle?"

She thought. "Jarrod and Joseph went into town I think."

"When will they be back?"

"Oh heavens, I don't know. I'm thinking between nine and ten, but it could easily be earlier or later."

Reid nodded, heading back to his room, enjoying the fact that he could have a good rest without any disturbance for awhile. Once he hit his bed, he was out, the drink dropping onto the floor and rolling under his bed.

XXX——X——XXX

He was unaware of his door slowly swinging open, of the figure invading his room. He was unaware of the slight slap of the wood on the palm, of the gentle footsteps coming his way. He was aware though, of the sudden pain that erupted in the side of his head that jarred him awake. He grabbed his head, beginning to cry out in pain when the intruder took the moment to gag him.

Reid rocked back and forth though, seeing white, tears coming out of his eyes. He could feel blood, making his hair clump together and his hands slide. His left side of his head above his ear was on fire, the opposite side feeling calm with the uneven amount of pain. His breaths began to catch in the gag, causing him to partially suffocate. He decided this had to be one of the worst ways to wake up.

When he calmed down, after a long moment, he opened his eyes slowly, seeing his uncle above him. "My, my, that was glorious. You expression when you woke up was one of a kind. Far better than I imagined. But, now that you're awake, I think we should continue on. So, I heard that you're not feeling very well. I'm sorry. I hope I can make you feel better."

Reid blinked the drying tears away, unknowing of what his uncle was planning. "Let's see. It's a Friday night—you probably didn't know that—and I want something to do. I think most kids party, have sex, and hang with friends. I could give you the opposite though. I could hurt you so bad you'd throw up, could rape you, or hunt your friends. I'm not in the mood though for any... And I do believe you're remembering your lessons, so I don't even know what to do. You probably figured it out by now, but I live for the sight of pain in people like you. I'm surprised you haven't Used on me yet. What's the problem? Scared?"

Reid glared at his uncle, unable to answer. Caleb's words though rang through his head, echoing all around. _"What will it take for you to get it? It's addictive you moron!"_ After that, he had...mostly stopped Using. He enjoyed Using small bits though once in a while, especially when he was drunk. His uncle took the gag out momentarily, and Reid took a couple of breaths before answering. "Do you want me to hurt you?" he finally asked, feeling his power rise, the sweetness already coating his mind.

"No, not really. I am surprised at your control though. I thought you would have struck out blindly, but you haven't. I'm pleased."

"Will you go away then?" Reid attempted to push the power down, but was unsuccessful. He had barely used it in the last couple of weeks, and the power wanted release.

"Of course not! But, your manners are slacking. You should have added sir to those last two sentences."

Reid knew his face had paled as his uncle replaced the gag. _Ah shit..._ He was hit across the stomach, then slapped across his inside of his bicep of his left arm. The slaps moved lower, stopping at the top of the cuts. He yelled into the gag, this pain being something he wasn't quite used to.

"I guess I will have to drill that one into you still. You're manners are far worse than I thought. And your parents allow you to do and act as you please! I'm going to have a chat with your father about that."

Reid began struggling, his uncle laughing and pulling about the gag. Reid coughed for a second and then spoke. "My life is just fine, _sir._ My parents don't need to hear any of your words. You're lucky I don't tell them about what you do to me. I could hurt, disable, or kill you with a stroke of my power. Only, I'm not a killer...yet. It wouldn't be enough though to satisfy me. I'd love to watch you die, slowly, painfully, fully aware of you were dying, and there was nothing you could do to save yourself."

A wicked grin came over his uncle's face. "Is that what you would like? Would you love to see agony in every limb of mine, tearing me apart piece by piece? Well, guess what? You're too weak; you'll never do it. And since you're not going to do it to me, I know how to do it to you. Tonight. I was planning on saving it for later, but..." His uncle chuckled. "Actually, I will continue to save it. For when your parents leave."

Reid looked at the towering figure above him, the powerful blue eyes locking onto his. "L-leave?"

"Yes, leave. I convinced them to have most of Saturday and part of Sunday to themselves. Of course, they'll be back Sunday night for dinner...and you'll be there, since it _is_ for you. And on Monday you'll leave for school. So, so sad. Oh well. It will have been a fun week. Now... I don't know what to do for tonight since I was going to let you have the night off. But your manners are still lacking. Your tone and word choice aren't the best. Let's see, lets see... I don't want any visible abuse..."

His uncle secured the gag in place once more with more tape, then slapped the wood on his palm. He noticed Reid was trying to escape, the boy knowing he had to at least try.

"If you're going to do that, then I have something."

His uncle grabbed Reid's neck, the force cutting off his breath completely. His uncle moved Reid onto his front, pushing his face into the covers on the bed. He felt his arms pulled together, taped, and then his ankles were pulled together and taped. He felt his ankles then pulled up, meeting his wrists. Reid felt his wrists and ankles taped together, unable to move. He felt awkward, and wondered when they would start stinging. In the group, Pouge had the best shoulder and back muscles since he swam the butterfly, Tyler swam backstroke, Reid breaststroke, and Caleb freestyle. As a relay, they were unbeatable. In a predicament like this, Reid's muscles wouldn't last for a long time, since it was his leg muscles that were strong.

His uncle was chuckling once more, Reid growing angry. He knew he had a pocketknife on his dresser, but he wasn't able to really move to get it. "I think I'll just leave you here. I'll stop by in the morning."

He left the room, turning the light off. Reid laid there, trying to control his breathing. He could barely swallow, but if he tried to often, then he might throw up. _Think, think, think... There has to be a way out of this. _He attempted at relaxing, focusing on how tight the tape was around his wrists and ankles. It was tape, so it was automatically stuck to him. Maybe though he could figure out how to move around. He wanted to try to get to the knife, but he couldn't move, couldn't wiggle, couldn't stand, couldn't grab anything with his mouth. He was stuck like this for the next however many hours. He looked at his clock, reading 12:13. _Shit, it's gonna be awhile. _He let his tears come as he silently cried into his covers.

* * *

...soo...here's this chapter. and i'm sorry it took so long to come out...i think. i'm going to try to be better about my stories coming out, but i'm just to damn busy!!! rawrg. oh well. so the next chapter is tyler, and yeah. I love all of you who are reviewing!! It makes me soo happy! And the more reviews i get, the more likely i'll update sooner!!! hehe. so yeah...i hope you enjoy this chapter!!! (this isn't even close to all of the abuse he gets, just btw...lol)


	6. Adrenaline

**---6---**

Tyler looked around his room, wondering why he had woken up. He felt the pain in his wrist, which became a sharp flare. He grabbed it, wondering if the doctors were sure it wasn't completely broken. The pain finally died down, leaving him breathless. He looked at his clock, seeing it was 12:13. He laid back on his bed, wondering randomly if his swim coach would be pissed that he fractured his wrist. It'd take four to six weeks to heal, and his cuts should be gone in two. Or, at least most of them. His parents though were happy he was at least alive. His mother was all against him getting_ another _car, but he needed a way to get to school and around. His father said he was allowed to get a car..._today. Yes. I hope it's another manual. Those are fun. And, maybe it's a car that I actually like, and I'll actually worry about crashing it..._

He still couldn't believe how he had allowed his attention to wrap around Pouge. Was he really that angry? Usually he was the courteous, barely sped, all around safety kind of driver. All the cops did was give him a ticket for speeding and another one for being distracted or something. Pouge told the officers that Tyler had called him, so he couldn't get out of that. The speeding ticket said he was only going twenty over. As far as Tyler knew, he had been close to thirty over, maybe twenty-five over. The person who he crashed into said they were alright, and their insurance would cover their car, as well as get them a new one. Tyler couldn't believe the luck that got him out of that fee as well. So, in the end, all he had was the speeding ticket and the overnight hospital stay. Pouge said he'd cover the 'minor distraction' ticket.

Tyler rolled on his side, feeling the bruises and some cuts. It felt better though than lying on his back. He shifted his weight, trying not to lay on his injured wrist. He drifted back into an uneasy sleep, the medication beginning to kick in again.

XXX——X——XXX

When he next awoke, he could see the sunlight around the edge of the blinds. He felt stiff, knowing it was a little side effect from the crash. He stared at his ceiling, remembering he was able to go car shopping with his dad. He thought he knew what type of car he wanted, but was still a little unsure. He knew he wanted a manual, but he'd just have to look.

He got up, picking random clothes. He found his phone, wallet, and keys, looking at his old Dodge Charger key. He noticed it was after eleven, and left his room, guessing his parents were in the study. It seemed, to him, a mix between a library and an office. When he entered the room, he saw his mother on a chair, reading, his father sitting at one of the two desks, looking at the computer. "Oh, look, you're up," his mother pointed out, Tyler shrugging.

"Funny thing about sleeping medication," he said, then looked at his father. "Are we going to go out today?" he asked, his father looking up.

"Oh, right. Let me go grab some things and we'll head out."

"Glenn! You are not seriously considering going and getting him a car, are you?"

"Rosalind, we went over this before. Yes, I'm still getting him a car. He needs one to get around, and I know Tyler learned his lesson. He's responsible enough to not get into another accident."

"The insurance is going to shoot up! You're getting him another car likes it's no problem—"

"It _isn't _a problem. You seem to be aware of how much money I have. And you abuse _that._ Tyler here, works in the summer and volunteers whenever he can. He's been driving for almost two years, gets excellent grades, hangs out with responsible kids—"

"—except for that Reid Garwin—"

"—And this is the only thing that has happened to him."

"And leave Reid out of this," Tyler said, his mom turning her attention towards him.

"Why do you say that? He's nothing but a trouble maker, receiving enjoyment out of fights. He put you into this predicament and he's probably laughing at the sight of it. He's nothing but a looser, the worst of all of you."

"Don't you dare talk like that about my friends." Tyler could feel the power growing, wanting to lash out. He held it back, but he knew his eyes had turned black.

"End of discussion," his father said, leaving the study, Tyler following and heading towards the garage while his father went back to the bedroom. Soon they were leaving, Tyler finally taking the moment to ask, "Dad, why are you still married to her?"

His father was silent, thinking. "I'm not sure. I suppose I do love her, but she's beginning to think she can make me do whatever she wants."

"She holds you down, basically destroying our name. She's stealing your money and wasting it away."

"You have to remember though, she knows about us. She's willing to sell us out. All she wants is money, and she'll do whatever to obtain it. That's why it's best if she stays with me. I can have a hold on her, and watch what she does. I have enough money, passed down from generations to give to you and your future kids. Once Rosalind dies, we won't have anything to worry about. Besides; I'm probably the only man around that will put up with her shit."

Tyler looked from the passing trees to his father, whom was staring straight ahead at the road. His expression was...tired. "Hopefully she dies before you. You've lasted this long; what's another couple of years?"

A ghost of a smile appeared. "You have no idea yet."

The rest of the trip was silent, soon the town of Ipswich in sight. It wasn't very big, but it was a fair sized town, having the basic necessities to survive. Once they were in the city limits, Tyler's father spoke. "Any idea what type of car you want?"

"I...was thinking of a Corvette. I liked my Charger and everything, but I feel like a Corvette would suit me."

His father nodded, driving around the town in search of the dealership. Once they found the Chevrolet dealership, Tyler began hunting out his car. They parked and went inside, immediately being helped. Tyler grinned once he heard they did hold Corvettes, and if they wanted a type they didn't have at the store, one could be shipped in a matter of days.

After a half an hour of searching though, Tyler found it. It was the only unique one, and one of the few manuals they held. It was a navy blue, with two short red streaks above the front tires. He looked at the inside, seeing red leather seats and black interior. He fell in love with it instantly. "I want this," he breathed out, unable to take his eyes off of it.

Mr. Markison, the person who was showing them around, said, "This car is actually used. The person who owned it before bought it from us, I guess painted it and redid the interior, didn't like it, and returned it to us. It's been sitting here for the past three months. If no one bought it by the end of March, beginning of April, it was going to be shipped off to a larger dealership."

"I'll take it, if that's okay," Tyler asked, looking at his father.

"Only to piss your mother off. She hates blue, hates manuals, and hates you driving."

Tyler nodded, and an hour and a half later, he drove off the lot, testing its speed, smoothness in acceleration, handling... It was far better than he expected. Once he and his father began racing, BMW against Chevy, Tyler knew this was _his _car. He laughed as he switched gears, the car accelerating and switching nicely. He was happy and lucky to still have his license. Eight points had been taken off his license, and he had to be careful with the remaining two. When he finally pulled into the driveway, he looked at his father's car, which pulled into the garage.

Tyler got out, looking at his father. "Beat you."

"You know I let you. Now, not a word to your mother."

"She'd shoot you if she saw how you really drove."

"Along with you."

The two went back into the house, his mother coming out of the bedroom. "Back? What type did you get?"

"Chevy Corvette."

"Manual I suppose?"

"Yep. That way, you can't sneak it for a drive."

His mother rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't drive a Chevrolet anyway. I suppose its silver or black."

"Wrong. It's blue, with red and black interior."

She began walking away, heading towards the study. "Glad you're so enthusiastic about wasting away your father's money."

"You're one to talk," Tyler mumbled, looking back to his father. "Thanks a lot for the car. I know I'm going to love it."

His father nodded and Tyler headed up to his room. He laid on his bed, taking some pain medication. He wanted to drive some more, but his medicine would put him to sleep shortly, and he wanted to surprise his friends. They knew he was getting a new car, but at the time, he hadn't known what he wanted. It was only the rest of today and tomorrow...he could hold out that long...

Tyler began to doze off, but he felt a chill. He opened his eyes, wondering why he was cold. He yelled and rolled off of his bed, a loud thud resounding. His left wrist instantly began hurting as he managed to land somewhat on it. His heart raced as he looked at the darkling that was looking at him, floating above the bed still. He had dark brown, almost black hair, white eyes, and grayish skin with a tan tinge. But the angle of his eyes though, Tyler could tell he was Asian.

He mouth...wasn't really there. There was a small hole, the edges melted together. His nose looked like it had been smashed in, completing the grotesque features. His hands were rotten, his clothes at least looking average. Jeans, tennis shoes, a brown t-shirt. The darkling faded, Tyler still breathing hard. He hadn't seen one since..._ since Chase. No, this...no. I have to tell Caleb._

Sleep forgotten for the brief moment, he grabbed his phone, calling the older teen. When Caleb picked up, he sounded...tired? "Hello?"

"Caleb! It's Tyler."

"Oh, hey, what's up?"

"I just saw a darkling."

"Wait—what?" Caleb sounded more curious now.

"A darkling. It just came to me. I think Chase sent it."

"Why would he do that? I don't think he's going to come after us again Tyler."

"How are you so sure? You know his body wasn't found after your fight. I think he's been recovering."

"And now he's strong enough again to challenge us? Sorry Ty, I don't think so. He's not strong enough to take us all on, and with you so close to ascending, and Pouge already, it'd be a lost cause."

"I swear to you though, I saw a darkling."

"Anyone we know?"

"No. He was Asian."

A pause. "That's a little different. There's probably a reason it came to you. This isn't the second one you've ever seen, right?"

"Well, no. It's the fourth. Still though..." Tyler could feel the meds beginning to kick in as his adrenaline decreased. "Listen, I have to go, otherwise I'm gonna fall asleep talking. Just think about it, okay? It could be Chase."

"I'll think about it. Get some sleep then. Later."

"Later," Tyler mumbled, hanging up. Head spinning, he crawled over to his bed, his wrist hurting a lot. _Hopefully I didn't damage it even more... _He lifted himself into his bed, asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

_**X-X-X-X-X**_

Caleb hung up the phone, thinking. _A darkling? I really don't think Chase sent it. He would have sent it to me first off, and he should know he's outnumbered. I don't think he's stupid enough to try something like that. I know he's still out there, but I don't think he's going to come back to us._

Caleb looked at Sarah, who was laying against his side. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "Why was Tyler all worried?"

"He saw a darkling. They're like spirits of someone who was killed. Sometimes they find us by our power, or someone else who is capable sends them to us for whatever reason. We don't see them a lot though." He remembered about the last one he had seen. "Tyler thinks Chase is back, but if he was, he would have sent the darkling to me, since he's still a little pissed."

Sarah nuzzled closer, planting a light kiss on his collarbone. "I'm sorry. I hope he doesn't come back... He...I don't like him."

Caleb leaned over and brushed her hair off of her forehead before giving it a kiss. "Don't worry. He won't come back. I've ascended, Pouge's ascended, Tyler will soon, and Reid after that. Chase doesn't stand a chance, really. And we're not going to help him, so he lost."

Sarah smiled, closing her eyes. "That's good to know. On a different subject that's a lot happier, the date last night was a lot of fun..."

* * *

Yep, here it is. While i was writing the fight between tylers mom and him, i was listenign to "i fucking hate you," by godsmack, and my mom and i have gotten into fights kinda like that. And his car, OMG i'm going to own a corvette someday, cus they're so FRICKEN AMAZING!!! sorry, chevy gal. Yeah...hehe.  
This story though is coming along quite well and i'm very proud that it's come this far. So yeah. Thanks to all of those who review!! You press me on to continue updating quickly, and this week i dont really work, so maybe i'll have an update sooner!! Wouldn't that be awesome?? hehe. Well. next chapter is reid, and it's cruel. one of the meaner/meanest chapters. its pretty much amazing, and i'm gonna shut up. Thanks to those who review and read!!!


	7. Hit the Floor

----7---

Reid officially wanted to die. What his uncle was doing to him was cruel and unusual punishment, to say nicely. In normal terms, it was torture.

His uncle had come in around six thirty and released his bonds, telling Reid to take a shower to clean up. He did, and went to sleep afterwards. Around noon his parents came up to tell him goodbye, and to have fun for the day and part of Sunday.

"You're not really leaving, right?" Reid pleaded, eyeing his uncle at the end of the hall.

"Yes, of course we are. Jarrod convinced us to take the weekend off. We do need to get out..." His mother said.

"You'll be fine. It's only until tomorrow afternoon sometime. Then we'll see you, have dinner, and you'll be off in the morning," his dad explained.

"I'd rather leave tomorrow night after dinner. That's what I've always done in the past, and it's almost mandatory to come back the night before," Reid said, unknowing what to do. He didn't want to be stuck with that monster for the rest of the weekend. "If I go back Sunday night, then I'll probably be on time to my classes Monday morning."

"Oh, Reid, it's a twenty minute drive, maybe a little more. Your classes, last I recall, don't start until eight. If you get up at say, seven, grab breakfast and leave by seven twenty, you'll be there by seven forty. You can run to your dorm and grab your books, and then be at your classes by eight." His mother for once looked stubborn.

Reid knew it was a lost cause. He nodded, his mom giving him a kiss on the cheek and a hug, his father giving him a hug. "No trouble now. You are expected to be on your best behaviour," his father said.

"I'm not five you know," Reid said, then muttered, "But tell that to uncle."

"What?"

"Have fun and come back soon. Like, an hour."

Both of his parents laughed. "See you later."

"Bye Jarrod, have a nice weekend alone!" his mother called as they went down the stairs. Five minutes later the car was backing down the driveway and heading off. Reid's uncle walked over, causing him to start begging/pleading to whatever god to leave him alive and functional at the end of this.

"So...just you and me, huh? Well...let's see...this should be exciting. I have plans for you, so don't get any ideas. And sleep... Not a factor here. Oh, where to start though? So many options...that one for later... Soon, maybe... Oh, much later, when it's dark..."

Reid slowly backed up to the end of his room, unable to escape. His uncle took slow, meaningful steps, thinking. Reid looked around, stuck... Well, maybe not. His uncle was moving slowly, though his reflexes were quick. _But, if I jump towards him, roll, and get back up in one motion, then I think I can get out. _Under his car he had a spare key. He could push his uncle away with the power, and make an escape. It could work... It _would_ work.

When he looked at his uncle full on, he thought about how far he'd have to jump. Only a couple of feet. It'd be easy. He prepared, sort of, and jumped to his right, beginning to fill himself with his power. He surprised his uncle, and was about to throw a short burst of power at his uncle, but his uncle grabbed his ankle. Reid was brought down onto the ground hard, all of his weight and force landing on his right shoulder, his head then hitting the ground next.

His uncle began laughing as he released Reid's ankle. "What were you planning? Escape? You could have escaped any time you wanted. It wouldn't have been hard. But you stayed. Maybe you are learning something; I'm glad. But, you tried escaping. You deserve punishment for that. Let's put you into unconsciousness. I can work easier with that."

Reid could feel his uncle coming, and knew he would fight during this entire thing, even if it killed him.

XXX——X——XXX

He was fading again in pain, sick of being tortured. The sun was beginning to go down, and however many hours remained. Reid had been fighting, but it was becoming harder with his movements becoming weaker and sluggish. His uncle had also managed to tie him upside down for the time being. Reid thought his uncle had made some sort of simple rope and pulley thing that was attached to his ceiling. The only moments of rest Reid received were when his uncle had purposely knocked him out. It only lasted a short amount of time though. Upside down, it was harder to fall unconscious, and he was aware of what was hurting.

"You're improving, Air. Not as many screams, remembering sir, not saying random things or trying to Use on me. I'm very pleased."

Reid felt a line of blood travel down his back, then disappear into his matted hair. Even though the blood was rushing to his head, he was ready to pass out. He felt his uncle smack his bottom though, Reid looking up and seeing a wicked grin, his eyes holding pleasure. "I think I know how to congratulate you, as well as torture you some more."

Reid didn't like the look in the eyes. He began squirming once more, attempting to release his arms locked behind his back and loosen his ankles tied and held by the chain. "No, get away! I'll hurt you if you touch me!"

"Will you cause me the pain you promised? I haven't even really touched you, if you...well, I haven't really touched you, compared to some of the things I really had planned. Now, I think I'll clean you up and we'll use a little change of scenery for the time being."

His uncle disappeared into the bathroom, coming out sometime with a rag that was wet. He wiped off the blood, making sure Reid was clean before he came down. Reid groaned, his uncle standing him up. "Come on. I would hate to smear blood before I had to."

Reid tried to walk on his own, but his balance seemed a little off with his arms tied behind his back still. His uncle directed him to the guest room, saying, "I was going to use your parents room, but I don't think my brother would appreciate it a whole lot if he found out about this."

"You're not his brother. You're a monster, living off of other's pain and torment. Its people like you who end up killed by people like me."

"Use your power to get out of this. I dare you."

Reid wasn't going to bring it up quite yet. He let it simmer on the edge, waiting to be released. He wasn't about to let himself be raped by this mindless creature. His uncle opened the door, pushing Reid. Reid fell over, and watched his uncle walk around the room, setting some things up and lighting some candles. When he was finished, he came back over and lifted Reid up by the neck.

"Ready boy?" Reid stared him in the eye, hanging limply. "That's a good boy. Now... Let's place you over here. I want to smell your blood and sweat on my covers. I want to envision your face when I dream."

Reid's heart began to race, his power thudding. _Not yet... Not yet... It has to be perfect, otherwise I'm never going to get out of here. _His uncle placed him down face first into the covers, positioning himself. _Now!_ Reid released his power, throwing his uncle off of him. Even though Reid was only in his boxers, he didn't care. He stumbled off of the bed and ran for the open door, weight uneven. He ran towards the stairs, unbalanced, while trying to hold onto the banister. He fell though halfway down and tumbled down the rest of the wooden stairs, pain filling his shoulders, wrists, and neck. When he stopped, he could barely move and form any thoughts. He managed to comprehend escape, and move from there. He slowly stood up, feeling sick, but managed to ignore that as he moved towards the front door. _If I can get it open..._

He stumbled towards it, managing to get it open as he heard the thudding steps of his uncle on the stairs. Reid managed to open the front door in a blind panic and ran down the stone steps, trying not to fall again. As he was near the bottom steps, a hand grabbed onto his right shoulder then pushed him forward, hard. Reid yelled as he met the concrete with his left shoulder and the side of his face, feeling it scrape while inflicting more damage to his body. He rolled down the last of the steps, pain racking his body as he laid still in the cool almost-night air. His uncle kicked him onto his back, looking down on him.

"That was a nice little punch you gave me there. A little stronger and I wouldn't have caught you. We can't have you escaping though, can we? You're in for it now."

His uncle lifted him off of the ground, tossing Reid over his shoulder. Reid just stayed there, still, wishing he could die. He knew he fucked up his shoulders...he just wasn't quite sure how yet. His face hurt, his entire body was screaming at him even though he couldn't control what was happening. The power that he shot... That wasn't strong enough? How close would he have to be for it to inflict damage? This close? But, his hands were held down, and he needed his hands to direct his power, at lease until his ascended. Caleb didn't need to direct his power anymore and now Pouge didn't as well.

_I have to get out... I have to. It's basically dark, and then there's morning. There's no way he can continue torturing me for that long... No, I'm going to be alive at the end of this. I hope. _Reid closed his eyes and relaxed as they went up the stairs, heading back to Reid's room. _Well, at least I pissed him off enough so that he won't rape me. That has to be a plus._

He was dropped to the ground, landing across his shoulders. He groaned, the pain increasing again. His mind was beginning to fade, and when his uncle kicked him across the head, all he felt was his mind tearing itself apart before he was sprawling across the darkness.

XXX——X——XXX

When he next awoke, he couldn't think. His entire body seemed numb, yet with any movement he was lost in blinding pain. He didn't want to wake up though. He knew something bad was waiting for him... The thing that put him into this pain. He wanted to drift back into the sweet bliss of unconsciousness.

He wasn't allowed though. Something poked him, causing the blinding pain. He moaned, heart beginning to race. "Ah, good, you're awake. I was afraid I had killed you, and then I was afraid I had put you into a coma."

_Who's that? _He opened his eyes, seeing the familiar figure in front of him. All pain momentarily forgotten, he squirmed, trying to get away from the man. When he realized that he had a hard time moving away without swinging, he noticed that he was hanging upside down. "How long was I out?" he mumbled, pain crashing into him like a wave, separating whatever thoughts he had put together.

"Almost four hours. I was thinking about letting you hang around while I went and slept for awhile. Of course, I'd have to change your position so you were more than comfortable."

_I'm upside down...no... He's going to hang me by my shoulders again. _"No, sir, I'm fine like this."

His uncle grinned. "Oh really? Well, it'd only be for a couple of hours...three or four. If you managed to fall asleep, I'd be surprised. It's a very uncomfortable position, as you know. So, what if I came back around five, five thirty?" He looked at Reid, smiling. "Good, we'll make it a date."

His uncle walked over, loosened the chain, and Reid positioned himself just in time to land on the base of his neck instead of his head. He was untied at the ankles, flipped over onto his front, and felt the chain attached to a thing around his wrists become undone. He continued to lay on the ground while his uncle did whatever to re-hook him, then was hoisted up. He was stopped when he couldn't touch the floor, and his shoulders were already burning with the sudden weight. He felt like he was going to pull his shoulders out of place, especially with the injuries from the falls. He looked at his uncle through blurry eyes, seeing a grin. "That should do for now. Well... Let's see. Should I stay here, or head to my room? I should stay in here, just in case, but...I want you to realize how hopeless you are. So, goodnight."

His uncle walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. A couple minutes later, Reid felt the tears come, stinging against the cuts. He let them flow, wanting death to come take him away. He couldn't figure out how to get out of this. He was stuck and the pain burned his muscles, causing them to tighten and scream. He wanted to move, but that would only cause them to hurt more, especially in this position. He was stuck, and nothing would help him unless the chain happened to break from strain. But, it had lasted when holding him for four hours. What was another four or five?

Reid took calming breaths, the soreness around his body causing him to black out a little. He could deal with the darkness though. The pain in his shoulders was stopping the rest of the dark to come, which he didn't like. Then, he felt cold. He shivered, the pain momentarily leaving. He wondered what was happening so he opened his eyes, soon screaming. He cut off shortly, afraid his uncle would hear him. Reid stared at the darkling in front of him who was coming closer.

Reid tried to move away, but the chain resisted, the dead woman continuing to come closer. She had long black hair, her eyes white, nose the only thing looking normal. Her mouth was melted shut, her skin color a gray. She wore a low-cut pink shirt, displaying once full breasts. She wore a black mini skirt and black boots. She slowly extended a hand towards him, Reid still trying to get away. He had only seen three others, and never wanted to be this close to one. She briefly touched his cheek, then disappeared. Reid silently was sobbing, his cheek burning for a second before cooling down.

He calmed down, slowly, his heart racing despite whatever he tried to slow it down. He saw his first darkling when he was fourteen, the second one the day before his sixteenth birthday, and the last one was the one Chase had sent. Reid was shaky, his breath returning to normal, his heart thudding away still. _Just calm down... It's only a darkling... No, no big deal. Who would've sent it? Chase is the only one that comes to mind, but he's gone. Well... I think he's stupid enough to come back..._

Reid cut his thoughts off as he shoulders doubled in pain. He let his breath out, then increased his intake to try to ignore the pain. _There's no way I can last the rest of the night. It hurts! _Renewed tears let themselves out as he cried out in a silent yell, the pain overwhelming him. _Can I Use to get me out? _He looked up, barely seeing the chain hook. At this angle though, he couldn't rotate his hands. They were stuck facing each other, and he couldn't move them without hurting his shoulders even more. _I suppose this is the end of me... How lame. Whatever god that's supposed to watch over us is missing me. I'm never going to survive this. _

He did though. He lasted through the night, even passing out once the pain became unbearable. He was awoken with a kick in his side, which Reid didn't really appreciate. It was strong and caused him to yell, the pain flaring up once more in his shoulders as he rocked back and fourth. He was dropped onto the ground, just laying there as tears ran down his face, something close to sweet pain running through his shoulders. It hurt, but it was a relieved pain that would fade quickly.

"You lasted a lot longer than I thought," his uncle said, nudging Reid with his foot in the ribs.

Reid groaned, not wanting move. The pain was dimming in his shoulders, feeling like cold water on hot metal.

"It's almost six; I overslept, but apparently you got some sleep as well. It might have ranged between one and three hours, but to your body it was probably fifteen minutes. Your parents will be home around noon today, so I only have between an hour and a half and two hours to torture you some more. Then we have to get your room clean. Your room has a lot of blood splatters, even though I'm getting better at hitting without leaving a mark."

Reid laid on the ground, barely listening. He wanted to sleep, and he felt sick from the lack of food, water, sleep, and the stress that his body was under. He hoped that he'd get a moment to rest before his parents got back. They'd probably notice something was wrong. He had told his mother he hadn't been feeling very well, so maybe he could still use that excuse.

He felt himself lifted, his head rolling to the side and struggled to keep his eyes open. "Oh, the poor boy's tired. I'll make a deal with you. If I torture you until eight and you prove worthy, I'll allow you to take a shower and sleep until your parents arrive, and maybe even longer. You have to be a good boy though. No screaming."

_No...no screaming? Well, that shouldn't be to hard...unless he has something planned. _"Okay," he mumbled, attempting to nod his head, and failing.

"Good, good. This shall be enjoyable." His uncle unlocked his arms, moving them in front of Reid. He felt renewed pain fill his shoulders, but it was more of the relieved pain again.

His arms were pulled above his head the shackles locked again, and he was pulled up off of the ground. If he really stretched, he could feel the ground, but that hurt too much. He felt his uncles cool fingers glide around his chest and back, Reid opening his eyes to see his uncle circling him. "What to do first? I want to see blood, but I don't want to clean a lot up. It's hard to get just under the first layer of skin...Oh, I know what to do."

Reid watched his uncle walk away, digging in a bag he brought for something. When he turned around, Reid saw a knife and a lighter. "Now, this is going to hurt. No noises for two hours. I'll allow you to breathe hard though. That, you can't really control."

Reid watched his uncle burn the tip of the knife, soon touching the black blade to Reid's side, Reid hearing a hiss, and bit his lower lip to keep from making any noise. The torment continued, his uncle drawing lines on him, the heat just enough to stop any blood from coming out. Sometimes his uncle would cut him, heat the blade, and then cauterize it shut. The entire time Reid saw his uncle smiling, a little neat smile you would give children after you tell them goodnight. A couple of moments almost had Reid yelling, especially as his uncle burned lower. Reid kept the shower and sleep in the front of his mind, using that to help ignore the pain. It was a prize he could not afford to lose. He dealt with each little hiss, each little sting upon his smooth flesh. One particular burn left him panting, soon biting his lip and trying to clench his teeth.

Finally, finally, as Reid was on the brink of consciousness, he was released. He was dropped to the floor, too weak to move. "You were a very, very good boy. I love causing that kind of pain the most. I loved seeing it in your eyes more than hearing it. Now, go take a shower. You look like filth."

Reid nodded sluggishly, barely able to move. _I get my shower and sleep. This is going to hurt...I hope it's worth it. _He stood up and stumbled over to his dresser, grabbing a pair of pajamas, boxers, and a shirt. He stumbled to his bathroom, almost falling a couple of times. His will to get through this pushed him on he figured. He couldn't think of anything else.

He turned the water on cold, slightly warm, and slowly took off the remaining pieces of his boxers and stepped under the water, almost screaming as the water touched his cuts and burns. He managed to make an audible gasp, then ragged breathing as his brain awoke for the slight moment. He crumpled to the ground, whatever remaining strength in him leaving. He felt the tears come and saw the water stain red.

He was dying and oh how sweet it felt.

* * *

Yeah...i'm really sorry how late this came out. My plan was two or three days ago, but obviously that failed. Just way to busy of a life. Here's Reid though!!!!! Oh the poor baby!!!! Pouge is the next chapter, and i'll try to update...umm...sometime. I'm getting slammed at school, and yeah...it's getting hectic. I'll try to update as soon as possible, but i can't make any promises. I love each and every one of you who review. I just wanted to say that!!!! Well. here's this, and yeah, hope you enjoy::and reid's not actually dying...if he was, yeah...the story would be to damn short...just wanted to put that out there.::  
And Bonus points if you can tell me where the name of the chapter came from, even though i dont think it's realated at all back to the song...hehe. 


	8. Discovering Thoughts

----8----

Pouge was standing in the middle of the road, trees lining each side. They were brown, red, yellow, some green even and already beginning to fall onto the ground. Obviously it was fall, but Pouge was wondering why this was. It was supposed to be spring...

He turned around, seeing the same scenery all around and the endless road. As he made a complete circle, he saw lights in the distance, soon becoming headlights. Pouge saw them coming at him fast, going to hit him if he didn't move. He jumped to the side, rolling, his brown leather jacket protecting him. He pushed himself onto his knees, beginning to stand up when he saw Chase where the car had driven by. Pouge looked around, confused.

"Ah, Pouge, my good man," Chase said, walking towards him slowly. He still had the same easy, power hungry grin on his face.

"What do you want?" Pouge asked while standing up, finally looking down on the shorter yet older teen.

"To talk like normal human beings." Chase put his hands in his pocket, seeming completely at ease.

"You're not normal."

"No, no, no, my good man. I _am_ normal. I just have this amazing gift which I don't know what to do with. It's eating me up inside, and I can't stop it. I wish I could...but I can't. So, I've been doing a little work." Chase became serious with the last sentence, Pouge setting his guard up. Chase was stronger than him and insane, but Pouge thought he had enough skill to get him out of there. Wherever _there_ was.

"What kind of work?"

Chase smiled. "Darklings, you know. Killing and sending the remaining bits to someone can be quite exhausting you know, depending on how many you send."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, Tyler hasn't been able to sleep much, and I know Reid had quite the scare."

Pouge's anger grew. "What are you playing at, Chase?"

Chase smiled malevolently. "Oh, I'm not telling _you_ of all people, Pouge. I'm surprised you even care this much about your friends." Chase began walking around the taller teen. "You were always the one who always ran off, always getting bored of watching everyone go through their angsty lives. There was Reid and his fights, Tyler and his bitchy mother, Caleb with his drunken, smoking mother... You were the only _normal_ one, and you always need a change of sight. Sort of like now. Reid has his problems. Tyler got into the wreck. Caleb's with Sarah, pushing you away. You may be with Kate, but you're still by yourself. Your parent's won't be there forever guarding your back. If you get out though, get away, then everything will be all right. You know it too."

Chase stopped circling, standing once more in front of Pouge. "So, are you tired of this life yet?"

Pouge glared into the dark empowered eyes, willing himself to stare down the older man. "No, I'm not tired yet. I never will be. You're not even really here. This is only a dream, so go away."

Chase huffed and calmed down. "That's what _you_ say. Well, I hope your aim is worthy of the army."

Chase disappeared, a wall of darklings lining down each side of the street as far as he could see. As one took a step towards him, Pouge gathered up his power as much as he didn't really want to. As soon as it touched his mind though, all doubt went away as the sweet embrace of a lover or possibly a mother met him.

"You love it, don't you?" Chase asked, his voice raining down on Pouge, though his figure wasn't seen. "It's addicting, it's so _powerful,_ it's so much of life itself."

Pouge concentrated more on the darklings than the insane voice. The darklings in appearance all looked the same. All had white eyes, gray skin, melted mouths... The clothes were battered, appearing to be mostly casual. One girl was in a flowing dress, looking to be a remake of the wedding dress, the man next to her wearing a tux. Most had dark colored hair, varying in length, some blondes and even redheads mixed in.

As they circled around him he let his power fly loose, blasting the rows back. The ones that fell onto the ground stood back up, looking a little angry. "You're going to have to do better than that Pouge. Goooood Luuuuuuck!" Chase called in a sing-song voice.

Pouge focused his power into balls, shooting the heads off of the darklings that were circling around him again. It seemed to work. The bodies crumpled, the darklings behind the fallen comrades either ignoring or unseeing what they were climbing over. Pouge shot one down after another, eventually growing tired once there seemed to be a wall of destroyed bodies around him. His power was beginning to fade, though its sense still filled him to the brink, like an addicted person smoking Meth. He had never Used so much in his life. He could have sworn the power was leaking out of everywhere it could, and Caleb and Chase had twice as much power as he did! How could they control it? _Chase _is_ addicted to the power though, and Caleb's never going to allow himself to become someone like his father or Chase..._

Pouge became clumsy, beginning to miss his targets, the darklings coming closer and closer. _One more after another...go, go, go, go...one more...there, there, there...shoot, shoot, shoot, can't give up. There. No, power's fading...my bodies becoming weaker...no..._

The stress from the power was breaking his mind, bringing him down. His breath was uneven, and he could see his hands shaking and feel the rest of his body as well. Then the darklings reached him. Cold dead fingers met his warm body, his _alive_ body. They tumbled onto him, Chase's voice ringing out again. "I guess you lost Pouge. I'm sorry Brother, but I suppose it's for the best."

Pouge yelled, trying to get the bodies off of him, growing weaker and weaker...

XXX—X——X——XXX

Pouge jerked awake, panting, sweat covering his body. He was trembling, feeling cold on the inside though he could feel the heat rising off of him. He shuddered, thinking about the cold hands touching him, draining him of his warmth. _There is no way in any hell or heaven that that was just a nightmare. That was a message. That had to be... Not a nightmare..._

The dream ran in his mind, heading in circles. Pouge laid back down, his breathing closer to normal although his heart was still beating like there was a darkling in front of him. He closed his eyes, seeing Chase and his army... _No way that's possible. Maybe...maybe it _was_ only a nightmare. It's too visual though. It wasn't a vision, and it wasn't a nightmare. I don't know..._ "Dear god, what the hell?" he muttered aloud, rubbing his eyes, then pulled his hair back away from his face.

He was awake though, and it was Sunday. As much as he didn't want to, he looked at his clock, seeing 8:08. "My god..." he said, wanting to roll over and go back to sleep. "To early..." His mind was awake though, causing Pouge to sigh in heavy annoyance. He looked at his ceiling, wondering what to do since it was eight in the morning, and he was awake. Everyone was still asleep, and he didn't really want to move.

Maybe... He thought about the dream. It was vivid enough to seem real, but farfetched enough to be a dream. Anyone who could create that many darklings couldn't be human. Chase was about as evil as they came, but lacking the skill. _Well, he did kill his parents... I guess that counts. And there was the student earlier this year... I suppose he's making his way up. There, he's going to get caught and jails aren't going to be able to hold him for long. _

Pouge wanted to dismiss it, but it was still to upfront to ignore. _I wonder if Caleb or Ty have dreams like this? _He thought again. _Ha, who am I kidding? Of course not. Caleb's basically God, so he doesn't have these types of things normally. If he does, then we have something to worry about. Tyler... If he saw something I'd be surprised. I'd be even more surprised if he admitted it. Reid... He wouldn't admit it. Reid doesn't have nightmares. Period._

Pouge stared at his ceiling, hands behind his head. Now he really was awake. And slightly confused. _What does this all mean? Do I really want to know? ...No, not really. I just...I don't know. I want to see Kate. She'll find ways to keep my mind off of problems, and she'll help me with homework. Damn. That's depressing that I just remembered about it. I should probably start on it..._

Pouge sat up, then looked at his clock, seeing a little over an hour has passed. He got out of his bed and wandered over to the corner of his room where he had stashed his backpack. He saw he had to write an essay for his history class, do some math and read something for English. _Easy enough...I think._

He pulled his stuff out then grabbed his laptop, heading back towards his bed. At least he could be comfortable while doing his homework.

XXX——X——XXX

Pouge's phone went off near eleven, all him having to do was lean over and answer. He had just finished his essay, which he was happy for, and was feeling a little drained. "Hey man. What's up?" he answered when he saw Caleb's name.

"Not much. You?"

"Finishing up some homework. What do you need?" Pouge laid back down on his bed, closing his eyes.

"Nothing. I was just wondering if you wanted to come to Nikki's before we have to head back to the school. I called Tyler, but he's unsure. He might come later on and then head on over to the dorms." Caleb sounded a little like he was pleading.

"I don't know. I'll probably end up coming. I'm sure Kate will come along if Sarah goes. What time are you thinking of?"

"Seven thirty, eight, or so."

"Wow, that's specific. Okay, I'll see you there, since we all have to head down the to the dorms."

"Okay, see ya."

Pouge hung up, looking back at his essay. It was five pages, one short of the requirement. He didn't want to write anymore though. _Oh well, I can get a B or whatever. I'm fine with that. Now, lovely math..._

When he was finished with all of his homework he stretched, realizing it was past noon and he hadn't eaten anything or even had gotten dressed yet. He got up and opened his closet, yawning as he picked a navy blue t-shirt and jeans. He headed out of his brightened room, and listened for any sounds as he made his way down the stairs. He didn't hear any. _Usually mom and dad are around, doing something or another that sets off they're here. _After debating for a second, Pouge sent a short burst of power out, not feeling anything as it came back. He went towards the kitchen, opening the fridge, wondering if anything was edible. Knowing his parents when he was home, most likely.

Pouge entertained himself during the afternoon, switching between video games, reading, more video games, and listening to music, his parents never coming home. Finally at six, they returned, Pouge coming out of the living room where he had been watching a movie. His parents entered, looking cheerful. "About time," Pouge said, his parents looking a little guilty.

"Sorry. We forgot to leave a note. We went and spent the day with the Rockwoods. I suppose it could have been any other day than today though," his father explained.

"We're sorry Pouge. I'll make us all dinner, and then we'll get you ready for school tomorrow."

Pouge shrugged. "It's okay, really, about you guys not being home. I'm going to Nikki's later, and I'm heading to the dorms afterwards. I think that way it won't be so rushed in the morning."

Both of his parents nodded. "That's a good plan," his father answered.

"Well, I'll go make dinner. What though? Something special, yet not heavy... Choices, choices." Pouge and his father shook their heads as his mother walked away.

* * *

Haha, that's a lame chapter...sort of. I'm pretty sure i've mentioned it a couple times before, but once again, i just can't write pouge/caleb chapters. It's a fricken pain!!! Oh well. there are more chapters of them in the future, so don't worry. Sorry that chapters not as good. The next chapter is Reid again, so hopefully that will make up for the lateness of the chapters and boringness of this chapter. If you liked it, AWESOME!!!!! Yay. Me, personally, it's a little dry, but it's more of an insight on Pouge's life, i guess. Hmmm...oh well. So. I'm really really really sorry about not having this updated...idk...a week or so ago. I've been really slammed in my life, and tonight i finally had a moment to breathe and update my stories. yay. tomorrow the hectic lifestyle begins again...damn. i'll try to update as soon as possible, but once more, there are no promises. I'm sorry!!!! Hopefully i'll have a break sometime soon...blach. Thanks to those who are reviewing, i love each and every one of you!!!! 


	9. Three Ways to a Mind

-----9----

Reid barely registered his uncle waking him up. It was a nice, gentle waking, but it was about to become painful if he didn't wake up in the next couple of seconds. "That's a good boy, Air. There, take this. Maybe you'll feel better. Then go take a shower and clean up."

Reid barely recognized it was his uncle talking to him, let alone what he was saying. Something opened his mouth and a little thing was pushed in. He was ordered to swallow, which he barely managed. He wanted to fall back asleep, but he was told again to take a shower. He didn't want to move but the pain began fading away, at least slightly.

He almost didn't realize he was getting himself out of bed, moving over to his closet then to the bathroom to take the shower... Reid was sure he fell a couple of times. How he got back up he wasn't sure. Once in the shower, he had never seen that much blood before come off of him. How he managed to make it into the shower, take the shower, get dressed afterwards and bandage himself up, and then get back into his bed was a mystery to him. He barely had any food in the past two or three days, and he hadn't had anything to drink...wait.

Reid rolled onto his side, beginning to fade out. He tried to reach under his bed for the bottle of juice he had brought up the other day. He found it, and managed to pull it up to him. He sat up and drank it, feeling like he was sitting on the side of a street and washing away his sorrows again. He felt numb and his mind was beginning to clear. He just sat there, holding the bottle and staring at his covers, occasionally looking over his clean, blood-free room. He thought he faded off, since the next time his uncle came in, he didn't hear it and he was shaken awake.

"It's almost time for dinner. You should take a shower and get dressed appropriately. I'm being nice. Don't ruin it. You have half an hour."

His uncle left, Reid slowly sitting up straighter and working his muscles loose. He could still feel the pain, but was glad it was disappearing. He slowly moved, realizing how uncomfortable a position it was leaning against the wall and sleeping. He stood up and slowly walked over to his closet, the floor drifting away from his feet in spots. He gripped onto the wall, pulling out a long-sleeved navy blue shirt, and blach dress pants. He wanted to wear his beanie as well as normal clothes, but his mother or uncle wouldn't approve of it at the table.

_Why can't I just leave and go back to the dorms? Why? I don't want to get up at seven and drive... I don't want to fear any beatings tonight... Maybe he'll be nice, and let me rest and be I can be normal tomorrow. I could go to bed at nine, or earlier...that'd be nice._

Until he was out of the house though, what he wanted were only wishes. Dreams. A figment of his imagination. He went into the shower again, to make sure he was done bleeding from whatever cuts. The water was a sting at first, soon turning into a sharp throb filling his body. Whatever he was given earlier though kicked in, taking the pain away, leaving a trace behind. He was stiff, but he could still wash himself, and look at all the cuts that weren't bleeding.

His cuts still stung with each movement, the pain washing away. If he was still hurting on whatever his uncle gave him, he didn't want to imagine himself off of the medicine.

When he got out, he checked the worst of the wounds, avoiding his reflection. He could feel how hurt he was. He didn't need to see it. He put a couple of bandages on again, feeling a little better with the medicine. He looked at his reflection when he was completely dressed, deciding that he could still stick to his lie that he was still feeling a little sick since his face was white. The scratches on his face though... That was going to be hard to explain. _Maybe... I don't know. The excuses I could come up with are illegal, and... Think, think... I suppose I can just say I was running up the front steps and I slipped...that works. It'll have to. _

After thinking a moment, he didn't know when the last time was that he had truly eaten a meal. Just the thought of eating made him feel sick. Or maybe he was just that hungry.

When he was satisfied he looked decent enough, nothing showing, he heard a knock on his door, soon finding his uncle at his room door. "Oh good, you're ready." Under his breath, he said, "If you eat, and you're on your best manners, I'll leave you alone tonight, from the abuse. I'll even throw in the medicine so you won't have to feel any pain."

Reid nodded slowly, his uncle soon walking away with Reid in tail. _Medicine... that'll be nice to have. If it deflects the pain this well, its my automatic favorite. But what is satisfactory for him? Is it what he wants at dinner, or my parents? Or both? Please, let me get this right. _He entered the dining room, his mother and father at the table. They turned to him and smiled, his mother looking a little worried.

"Reid, what's on your face? What happened?"

Reid shrugged, already feeling his uncle's amused eyes on his back. "Oh. I was running up the steps and I slipped. It was in the dark, so they just kinda...appeared."

She nodded, seeming to buy it. "You look like you're worse though than Friday and Saturday. You don't have to go to school tomorrow if you aren't feeling well."

"Don't worry. I'm feeling fine. It takes a lot of get me out of school," he said sitting down. "And besides, it'll be the first day back. If I don't go, everyone will spread rumors or something stupid like that."

His parents still looked at him, noticing that his mother's hair was down, her blue eyes curious. His father's hair was once blonde also, but it was now a dark brown. His green eyes seemed to be giving a test, which Reid didn't understand why. Yeah, he was hurting, but why would his father want to think that he was lying? _His eyes aren't black, so I have nothing to be afraid of. I hope_. Food then came out of the kitchen, their cook holding a tray. Reid thought she only worked on weekends and whenever he was home. She set the tray on the table, Reid thinking it was pork. He was right. A couple of minutes later, everyone was placing food on their plates, Reid trying to make it look like he was hungry while not having to eat everything.

He kept an eye on his uncle, and guessed he was doing fine. His uncle's eyes held amusement, but when they held pleasure, he knew he was screwed. Reid ate a couple of carrots, a bite of his potatoes, and half of the meat. He was full, but knew he needed to have more. There were other foods on the table, but this was about all he could stomach. When his mother noticed his lack of hunger, he began to worry since this could kill his good job so far.

"Oh, Reid, you can't possibly be full."

"I'm sorry, mom. I'm just not that hungry. I think I told you this before, but starve a cold, feed a fever."

His mother nodded, while his father said, "'Starve a cold, feed a fever?' I haven't heard that before."

Reid looked at his father, curious. "Really? Our nurse basically screams it in the winter when everyone's beginning to get sick. It's kind of annoying, really."

His father nodded slowly, before turning back to his food. Reid chanced a glance at hi uncle and saw a ghost of a smile and a faint nod. He had passed. Dinner soon ended, Reid managing to force down two more bites. "Mom, can you tell Ruth I said thanks for the excellent food? Even though I wasn't very hungry, it still tasted perfect."

His mother nodded, Reid then excusing himself and heading up to his room since he knew that there was no way he was going to the dorms tonight, even though it was highly recommended. He laid on his bed, about to doze off when his uncle knocked once and came in. Reid watched the man close the door and walk over, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"You did quite well tonight, Air. I was pleased. You remembered your manners, you're attitude was in line, your outfit works, and you kept to your sick excuse. All in all, I'm quite pleased."

Reid began to sit up, sitting on the edge of his bed. His uncle came over and pushed him down. Reid's fear grew, wondering what his uncle was doing. _He...he said he wasn't going to do anything..._ His uncle's free hand slowly undid Reid's pants, then pulled down the front of the boxers. His uncle's cold hands made Reid jerk as well as increase his breath.

"Now...don't forget these rules again. I had such a pleasant weekend." His uncle's hand tightened, Reid's breathing increasing. His uncle leaned closer, his breath whispering across Reid's ear and neck. "If you do forget the rules, I won't hesitate to touch you again. I don't care how old you are. I'll be bigger and stronger. And these," his uncle squeezed harder, Reid whimpering, "will be mine. Don't forget."

His uncle pulled back, slowly, his lips brushing against Reid's cheek. They were awkwardly close, Reid ignoring the still cold hand. His uncle looked into Reid's eyes, Reid beginning to panic as he saw pleasure enter the winter voids. His uncle pressed a kiss to Reid's mouth, the teen terrified of moving since he didn't want to be punished and he was still grabbed very uncomfortably. Reid could tell his uncle wanted entrance into his mouth when he started running his tongue over and biting Reid's lips. Reid allowed entrance, only more by accident since his uncle's grip was increasing and he began whimpering when his uncle basically had a death grip on him. His uncle took the weak moment and slipped into Reid's opening mouth, slowly letting go. Reid was losing focus on what was happening, and only seemed to feel the tears that were crawling out of his eyes.

Their tongues met, his uncle attacking, wanting more than Reid thought he could give him. He could tell his uncle was getting into it, yet the hand that held Reid remained still much to the boy's liking. Whenever Reid wasn't responding how his uncle wanted him to, he'd bite the boy's lips hard enough to draw blood, which would be enough to get Reid moving again. Then, his uncle did what Reid second-feared he'd do. His biggest fear was his uncle raping him in any way. His second fear was his uncle getting _him_ into it, despite how much he wanted to stop what was going on.

Reid felt his uncle's hand begin to smoothly rub back and forth, as well as rub his own hard area on Reid's leg since that was as close as he could get. Reid thought he was being pushed more onto the bed, and did feel the covers slide under him and his uncle crawl on top of him more. Once situated, his uncle never once loosened his hold on Reid or slowing his tongue, and he began a grinding motion, Reid now letting audible sobs out. He could feel his uncle's rough laugh rolling in the back of his throat, and only pursued more into exciting Reid.

Reid began trying to pull away, but his uncle put his free hand on Reid's head to hold him still as his other hand began moving faster, Reid knowing his uncle could feel him become harder. _No! No! Get off! Go away, GO AWAY!!! _Reid felt the power flow through him as he wanted to throw this man off of him but...his father might feel him Use, and Reid would get into even more trouble with Jarrod. _No, its uncle...he's not worthy enough to have a name. He's a demon, not worthy enough to have any sort of name that marks him uniquely. Bastard is an exception. Sort of. Uncle...uncle...uncle..._

Reid felt sweat and tears slide down, colliding, the salt mixing with their saliva. He could feel himself becoming excited. He could feel himself coming, his uncle's rock hard area partially making his leg go numb. He started squirming away, putting as much effort as he could into it. His uncle pulled away, noticing Reid's almost desperate sounding whines.

As soon as his uncle pulled himself off of Reid, the teen curled into a tight ball, trying to relax and get himself under control. He tried to hold back all of the tears that wanted to spill out of his eyes. He had mostly pushed his mind away to help ignore what his uncle was doing to him, but once his uncle got up, he was pulled back into his body, and couldn't grasp what was had happened. He felt his uncle get down next to his ear, softly saying, "That was for hurting me with your power, and not being able to satisfy my needs. For tonight, you were thinking of physical abuse, weren't you? Well, there are other types as well, like mental and sexual. I love mixing those two together. I love you, Air. I hope you know that." His uncles lips brushed his earlobes. "You'll remember the rules now, I'm sure. If you don't, well, I'll be waiting. Have a good night Air."

He kissed Reid's ear before moving off of the bed and leaving the room. As soon as the door shut and Reid was sure his uncle was gone, he began sobbing, unable to control himself. He cried into the night, wondering if there was any way he could somehow end everything right then and there. His uncle _had _abused him physically and mentally, a little sexually as well. _That option was better than the rape. That option had to be better than the rape. Oh god..._

He kept repeating the mini mantra, almost, crying himself into a dark alternate reality where nothing existed.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid barely comprehended his alarm clock going off and felt stiff. He opened his eyes, wondering what was going on and why that insufferable beeping noise was interrupting his sleep. He looked at his clock, reading 6:30 and pushed the alarm button, having no effect. His phone was the next option. He uncurled and searched the floor, soon finding it and shutting it off. The silence rested upon him once more, Reid barely fighting off the sleep that began to settle over him again.

_I need to grab my stuff...take a shower...get dressed...get out of this hellhole. _His ten hours of sleep though felt like two, and he didn't know how he was going to catch up on the sleep he had lost. He crawled out of bed, already hating the day. He looked over at his clock again, and noticed something. There was a bottle of the pills his uncle had given him. Reid read they were Darvacet, and he guessed they sounded safe. He decided to wait until after his shower to take one.

For his condition he managed to take a quick shower and for once put on normal clothes. If his teacher's got mad at him...well, he wasn't really in the mood to deal with anyone. They could kick him out for all he cared. He never minded being the odd man out; it was just how he was. When Reid grabbed his backpack, he was glad that he had most of his books with him, so he didn't have to worry about heading back to the dorms for anything.

It was seven when he left, barely any food in his stomach, a waving mother and father behind him, along with Jarrod, _no, abusing uncle...not Jarrod, _watching him leave. When Reid arrived at the school, Reid instantly was standing out in jeans and a long sleeved black shirt, but the only thing he cared about what avoiding the group for the time being. He would see them in class, but they couldn't really talk to him without getting in trouble. As Reid grabbed his backpack out of his truck and headed towards his first class, he realized he was nervous. He didn't know how his friends would react when they saw him. He knew he looked bad, but no one could see the hidden bruises on his chest and legs.

_I hope I can get out of swimming. I'm pretty sure my shoulder is fucked up, and I don't want anyone to see my bruises and cuts. Those will be a little hard to explain... Maybe I can get away with saying I fell down my stairs? Yeah, right. I don't know..._

Reid reached his class, his watch telling him he had a little less than ten minutes before the bell rang. He didn't want to go in, since his teacher would most likely make him go all the way to his dorms to change, and then come back. Reid decided to just continue walking past the classroom and went towards the bathrooms, deciding that was at least a safe place to hide for the moment.

As he was about to enter, he saw Aaron, his favorite person ever. The brunette smiled, making his way towards Reid. "Ah, Reid," Aaron said as he walked up, smiling. "You don't look like you're dressed appropriately for school. You must love attention that much to stand out and risk getting sent to the dean's office."

Reid stood still, keeping calm. "No, I simply didn't have enough time to change when I got here. And you think I care if I'm up to your expectations? You're not god, so I guess I really don't give a shit what you think."

Aaron continued on with the smirk, though it faded a little. "Your record is clean this year, Reid. It's funny how you haven't picked a fight with anyone so far."

"Are you volunteering yourself?" Reid remained calm, wondering where this was supposed to go. Yeah, he could probably kick Aaron's ass, but he wasn't in the right shape or mood to give a damn.

Aaron walked right next to Reid, saying, "Lunch today in the northern courts. No one ever goes out there. I have some new tricks I need to try out. And we can see if you've become rusty." Reid knew Aaron was smiling. "Otherwise, yes, I am volunteering myself."

He walked off, hitting Reid's left shoulder, sending a sharp pain up into it. Reid heard the two minute bell ring and headed into the bathroom and went in front of mirror to see how bad he looked. Looking at his reflection, he could feel a lot more than see where he was hurt. His face was white, almost sick-looking, his blue eyes were a lot darker than normal, and the scratch on his face didn't help his appearance. How was he going to get out of the fight? If he didn't go, then Aaron would degrade him in front of everyone and make his life more hectic than he needed. He could move though, and even with the pain killer in effect, he knew he couldn't afford to get hurt anymore. But, he was sure that this fight would have an interesting outcome. One would win, and the other would have their ass beat.

He heard the bell ring, Reid grabbing his bag and heading towards his classroom. He walked in, his teacher looking at him. Before his teacher could open his mouth, Reid beat him and said, "Sorry. I had to drive here this morning. Ran a little late."

He went up the stairs to his seat, ignoring the looks everyone was giving him. He dealt through his first four classes, somehow able to avoid questions from Pouge, Caleb, and Tyler. He noticed Tyler had a cast around his wrist and wondered what happened. Obviously something went on that Reid didn't know about. He saw that Tyler also had cuts that were healing on the side of his face, looking a couple of days old. When the end of his fourth period class came, Reid didn't feel like fighting or talking to his friends. Despite his wishes, both were inevitable.

As soon as the bell rang, Tyler, Caleb, and Pouge came up to him, Reid suddenly unsure of what to do. "Uh, hey guys," he began, sort of having trouble hiding how nervous he became.

"Reid," Caleb said formerly.

"What've you been up to?" Reid asked, trying to lead the conversation to a safe place. "Probably saw more excitement than me."

Tyler shrugged. "Not much. Been worried about you, since you know, _we're friends,_ receiving death threat emails, crashing my car, fighting with my mom, the usual."

Caleb was next, speaking right after Tyler. "Worrying about you, hanging out with Sarah, Pouge, and Tyler, figuring out what's going on in my head."

Pouge finished, speaking a breath after Caleb ended. "Thinking, realizing things, worrying about you, hanging out with Kate, Tyler, and Caleb, pretending to be Tyler's brother after he crashed so I could know how he was doing, the normal." The three turned to Reid. It all seemed like it was planned out. "You?"

Reid didn't know how to get out of it, so he avoided the question with a question. "Wait, how'd you crash Tyler? I thought you were one of the safest drivers." _That _was true.

"Well, I was. But I was a little angry, didn't see a car pull out in front of me, hit it, went flying, crashed, kind of pissed my mom off. My dad didn't care though. I got a new car that I actually love. I'll show it to you this hour."

Reid shrugged, holding in a wince from a short burst of pain his shoulder gave him. "That's cool. I don't know about this hour though. Maybe once we get back to the dorms tonight."

Tyler nodded, then said, "Which reminds me, why weren't you here last night? Technically you were supposed to be."

Reid tried to give another non-commented shrug that was smaller and less painful. _At least I distracted them so I don't have to answer what I did over break. _"My mom seemed determined that I could leave this morning and be on time and stuff."

"You were still late though," Caleb said.

"Well, yeah, I guess. I wasn't late getting to school...just to class." Reid looked at his cell phone clock, saying, "Hey, I have to go do something really quick. I'll meet up with you guys later."

He left his friends and went down a hall that would take him to the northern courtyard. Hopefully his friends wouldn't come look for him when he didn't return... Or when they realized there was nothing on the side of the building he was going to. He went out the doors, and saw Aaron a little bit away. The other teen smiled, saying. "Oh good, you came."

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

Aaron shrugged. "I don't know. Let's cut the talk and get straight into this. I'm excited. Ready to go?"

Reid gave what he hoped was a smirk. "You're on. I'll try not to beat you that bad."

Aaron stood up, looking around. "Let's head over to that back corner. The cameras aren't directed in that area, and it's more of a hidden spot."

Reid nodded and the two walked over to a corner of the building, where it was cement. Reid wondered if Aaron wanted to use that area because of how "hidden" it was, or if because the landing would be hard when either of them fell to the ground. _Aaron must think he has the advantage. Why would he be so confident though? Does my body scream injured or something? _

When the two reached the corner, Reid mentally prepared himself, since he figured that would help him get through once his body began to quit on him. Aaron made the first move, running towards Reid then swinging a low kick towards his knees. Reid jumped up and tried to grab Aaron's leg, but he was to slow. Aaron swung a punch as Reid's face but he moved to the left and looked Aaron in the eyes as he swung a kick for his stomach. Aaron fell backwards, coughing, Reid walking over and stepping on Aaron's wrist. "That was quick, and I'm still a little rusty. What moves did you have planned?"

Aaron just smiled and grabbed the leg that was holding his arm down and shifted his position, then kicked Reid in the back of the knees. Reid began to fall, partially losing feeling in his calves. He thought Aaron moved out from under him, but next felt a knee connecting with his lower jaw. He fell backwards, but was kicked in his side, which caused him to finally land on his left side. He couldn't breathe, and he could feel his body beginning to give out on him. He could sense Aaron standing above him, near his feet. _This has to work...this has to work..._

Reid rolled onto his back, looking like he was out of breath and in pain, which wasn't that hard to fake. He brought his legs together and brought his arms to his side, acting like he was going to push himself up. He had only done this move two other times, and it had worked fairly well if he got his angle right. Reid opened his eyes, looking at Aaron. Aaron was grinning, but was confused as Reid used as much of his shoulder muscle as possible to push him up off of the ground and launch himself into Aaron's gut.

It worked. Aaron backwards, once more out of breath, and Reid landed close to him, the pain drawing his strength and energy away from him. "You fucker..." Aaron drawled out, out of breath and in obvious pain. "You'll pay for that."

Reid tried to move away as he saw Aaron stand up, but he only succeeded with rolling onto his front and beginning to get up on all fours. He was kicked in the chest, then a heel of a shoe was brought down in the square of his back. He gave a slight yell, and fell onto his side, feeling some of the bruises from before flare up in pain. He felt a hand grab his neck and push him down. "That was a good hit. I think you're done now. I have to go clean myself up. I wouldn't want to look like I've been fighting, let alone with someone like _you._" The hand tightened, Reid beginning to choke and claw at the hand around his neck. "Hopefully your friends find you soon, you worthless breath of space."

Reid could feel his heart pumping the blood, though barely any oxygen was getting to them. He could feel his lungs contracting, wanting to get the carbon dioxide out and fresh oxygen into them. He was falling, his body fading out from his mind. He was only aware of the hand and lack of air...and the blackness that was coming upon him.

* * *

Here it is!! Chapter nine!!! yay!!! That was sooner than last time, right??? hehe. well...Yeah, i'm very mean to reid...the poor baby...i feel so bad for him. But he's sooo easy to torture!! i made the fight scene and the scene with his uncle more descriptive than i originally had, cus what i had before was lame. I hope everyone likes this chapter... Next up is Caleb. I think the chapter isn't that bad, but we'll see. So, i start swimming next week, so throw that into my already crammed schedule, and yeah, hopefully i can update as soon as possible. No promises though once again. Yeah...i'll do my best though. So i love all of you reviewers!!!! thanks a ton for reading and leaving your comments!!!


	10. A Noticeable Difference

-----10-----

Caleb watched Reid walk away, wondering why he was heading towards a hall that only led to northern courtyards. Nothing was over there. He looked at Pouge and Tyler, who both shrugged. "Well, I suppose we just leave him alone for now... If he's not back by the end of lunch, we'll see what he's up to," Caleb said.

He noticed the looks that Pouge and Tyler gave each other. _I'm as worried as you two are, but I want him to not think of us as snoops. We need his trust._

The three went outside in the warming weather to a small circular table that was made from some sort of stone. They mostly sat in silence, Pouge getting up and saying he was going to get some food. Tyler and Caleb said they weren't hungry, and would eat later. When he was gone, Tyler sighed. "I'm so confused right now."

"About what?"

"Reid, duh."

Caleb shrugged. "Why did you wait for Pouge to leave?"

"I don't know. He says he realized the real Reid, but I still wanna say he still partially thinks of Reid as a selfish brat. Reid, though, is obviously hiding something. Did you notice how he avoided saying what he did over break?"

Caleb nodded. "I let it slide. I want to gain his trust before saying anything. Same with you?"

"Yeah, even though I already have his trust. Obviously he's hiding something. Wonder if he's gong to tell us. Did you notice how he went to the northern courtyard too?"

"Yeah. If he's not back by the end of lunch, I'm going to go find him. Nothing is at the north of the school. He can play his little game for awhile, but there will be a time where we need to call a time out and interfere."

Tyler gave a weak laugh. "As lame as that sounds, I agree."

They sat in silence, Caleb thinking of Reid and then Sarah. He hadn't seen her yet, and was afraid that something happened to her. They had the next period together, and hopefully she would show up.

Pouge returned, all three slowly waiting for the period to end, Caleb growing more and more tense. With fifteen minutes left, he said, "Okay. Fuck Reid. I'm going to find him."

Tyler nodded and stood up right away, Pouge falling behind them as they left, heading towards the north end of the school. Caleb set a pace that wasn't quite jogging, but what speed-walkers would be proud of. He rounded the corner and looked around, noticing that Pouge's eyes were black. "He's over there," the other eighteen year old said, pointing to a far corner.

Caleb looked over, and couldn't really see anything. They jogged over, soon sprinting as they saw a figure and it was Reid. He was on his back, face white, a bruise forming under his chin and faint bruise-looking lines around his throat.

"Reid, Reid! Wake up!" Tyler called, shaking the boy, receiving no reaction.

Caleb put his fingers where Reid's pulse would be, finding one. "He's alive, just unconscious. What the hell Reid?"

The three didn't know what to do. "I say we ditch next hour and figure out what happened to Reid," Pouge volunteered.

Caleb thought. "We may have to do that. We won't cause much of a scene that way."

"We'll just get detentions though," Tyler said, his two friends looking at him. "Sorry. I'm just throwing that out there."

The three waited for the bell to ring which wasn't very long, Pouge then grabbing Reid since he was the strongest and carried him bridal style towards the parking lot. Tyler grabbed Reid's backpack as Caleb grabbed Pouge's, and the group headed out. "Where do you think Reid parked?" Pouge asked.

The two looked at him. "Why?" Caleb asked.

"He drives a truck, doesn't he? It'd be the easiest to put him in that, and maybe you two could take like, Caleb's car or something. We can come back later and grab our own cars."

Caleb and Tyler looked at each other, both shrugging. "That would work," Caleb said. _Where would Reid park...? He said he got here early but was just late to class... _"I think he parked in the east parking lot. It's closest to the school, and he said he got here early."

They made their way out to the parking lot, the campus empty. Tyler dug through the backpack, finding the car keys. In the middle of the parking lot, they found Reid's truck. Tyler opened the door, Pouge sliding the fragile boy in. When he was set, Caleb and Tyler ran towards Caleb's Mustang since it wasn't that far away. Caleb felt his adrenaline skyrocket as he found his car and jumped in. They soon were racing out of the parking lot, catching up to Pouge and Reid.

"Do you think he'll be all right?" Tyler asked, breaking the silence.

"It's Reid. He'll be okay. He'll probably be pissed when he wakes up though." He glanced at Tyler. "I know he's your best friend, but he's pretty predictable."

Tyler gave a dry laugh. "I guess he is predictable. This whole thing though, I never saw it coming. Did you?"

Caleb shook his head. "No. It looked like he was fighting though. He had a couple of rips in his shirt, and some scrapes from the ground."

Caleb slowed down when he saw Pouge swerve, Tyler laughing. "I guess Reid woke up."

"Doesn't matter. We reached the dorms."

Pouge drove to the front of the buildings and stopped. Pouge soon got out, Reid almost falling out as he opened the door. Caleb parked and the two of them got out and rushed towards Reid and Pouge. Pouge didn't seem that amused though. "This little mother fucker decided to punch me when he woke up."

"When you realize you're riding in a car that you're sure is yours and you're not driving it, you automatically assume you're being kidnapped. And you didn't have to hit back," Reid said, looking a little out of it, holding onto the truck. Caleb guessed Reid was supporting most to all of his weight onto the truck.

"Well, why don't you go get cleaned up?" Caleb suggested, moving towards Reid. He put his hand out to help support the younger teen, noticing the flinch. "Hey, I'm only going to help you stand. I don't think you can really walk."

Reid slowly nodded, Tyler moving to the other side. The two helped Reid into the building and up to their floor, Pouge walking behind them. "So, what happened?" Caleb risked asking, seeing Tyler look at him.

"Don't really know. I went to the north side to go...smoke...and I went out the door, and... I don't remember."

_Reid, you don't have to lie,_ Caleb thought, mentally shaking his head. _I think Tyler and Pouge caught it too. _They walked up to Tyler and Reid's room, Tyler opening the door, Caleb directing Reid over to his bed. "Maybe you should change your clothes and rest," Tyler said, looking concerned.

Reid laid down, eyes glazing over and often closing. "No, I'm fine."

Caleb laughed. "No, Reid, you are not fine. If you need to sleep, then go ahead and sleep. You look worn out."

Reid closed his eyes, his head rolling to the side. "Ha. Tired is an understatement."

With that, he fell asleep, Caleb, Tyler, and Pouge letting out their sighs at the same time.

XXX——X——XXX

Caleb drove Tyler and Pouge back to the school, the car silent. He parked, the clock reading that they had ten minutes before the bell rang. "Well, what now?" Pouge asked, getting out of the Mustang.

"Well, might as well head towards our sixth hour class. We can meet up after seventh and head back to the dorms. Maybe we can coax Reid to tell us what happened," Caleb suggested, heading towards the school.

He saw Pouge and Tyler nod, and once they reached the building they went their separate ways. They all had second to fifth together, and met up at the end of the day to figure out what to do.

Caleb walked to his class, looking at his watch. There were five minutes left in fifth hour, so he could still meet up with Sarah and they could walk to their next class. He could then explain why he wasn't there, _and then she would be all worried. I don't need her jumping all over Reid when we get back to the dorms. He's not a people-person at the moment, and... _Caleb's thoughts drifted off as the bell rang and Sarah soon came out of the classroom. He smiled as she came over to him, an exasperated look on her face.

"Where were you? You missed an amazing lecture, and I suppose you'll want the notes..."

Caleb smiled and looked into Sarah's gentle blue eyes. "I'm sorry sweetie. There was an emergency I had to take care of." He kissed her, but it didn't rid the worried expression that overcame her. "You don't have to worry. I'm worried about those notes that I missed..." Caleb walked with her to their next class, hoping that Sarah wouldn't go back onto the subject of Reid.

At the end of the day, Caleb left Sarah with Kate and met up with Tyler and Pouge, all silent as they left for their own cars, heading back to the dorms where they hopefully still found Reid. Caleb managed to leave first and once on the main road, he could see Tyler and Pouge close behind. He reached the dorms first and didn't bother waiting for his friends since he knew they would be there soon. He headed into the front doors and up to their floor, heading towards Reid and Tyler's room. He tried the door and sighed at Tyler for leaving it unlocked. He heard Pouge and Tyler reach the floor, their shoes sounding loud on the silent floor.

Caleb went into the room and saw Reid in the same position as when they had left him. He went over and sat on Tyler's bed as the other two reached the room. He continued looking at Reid, wondering why he looked so fragile and innocent right then. Reid was wearing long sleeves and pants. His face was showing new bruises and scratches barely visible from where Caleb was sitting. The scratches weren't from the fight though; he had noticed those earlier.

"I can't believe he's still sleeping," Caleb said. "I know Reid's lazy, but this is _bad_, even for him. He hasn't moved at all." Caleb looked closer at Reid and saw some rips in his shirt and pants, and could barely see some more bruises.

As Tyler shut the door, Reid began moving, his head rocking back and forth, body shaking, hands clenched tight as he began muttering, "No, no, no... Leave me, please..."

The three were instantly next to the blonde, Caleb not even noticing himself move. Tyler began calling his name, Caleb put a hand on Reid's shaking body, Pouge looking down, worried. "No!" Reid screamed, pulling away from Caleb's touch. "Stop, it hurts! Please sir!"

"Sir?" Caleb asked, slowly pulling his hand away. Tyler and Pouge looked as confused as he felt.

"Reid, come on, it's me, Tyler. Caleb and Pouge are here as well. Reid, wake up, please. Reid! You're dreaming!" Tyler tried to shake him awake, which didn't have a lot of effect.

"What's going on?" Pouge asked, looking at Caleb. "Why is he acting like this?"

Caleb stopped the shaking, becoming a little frantic. He leaned over Reid, pulling an eyelid up and seeing the eye dart back and forth. "He's dreaming," he said simply, leaning back. "That much is obvious. But, I don't know how to wake him up." He put his hand on the left shoulder. From the reaction he received earlier, the right seemed to be hurt. "Reid, it's us—Tyler, Pouge, and Caleb. We're your friends. Wake up—you're only dreaming."

Reid then did decide to show signs of life, only it was in the negative way. He grabbed Caleb's wrist, saying, "Get the hell off of me, bastard." Reid brought his right hand up and clawed Caleb's throat and jaw. Caleb sucked in a breath at the sudden stinging and next he saw were Reid's black eyes and the room moving..._away?_ from him.

When Caleb next opened his eyes, he saw Tyler and Pouge restraining Reid who was struggling to get away, his yells turning to sobs as he came to, and curled up once Pouge and Tyler released him. Caleb slowly stood up, his back hurting. He looked at the wall, no indent appearing luckily. He went back over, Tyler getting down in front of the blonde's frantic blue eyes. "Reid, calm down, it's only us. No one else is here. Relax."

Reid looked over, seeing Caleb and Pouge. "Hey, that was a nice hit," Caleb said despite the throbbing that was overcoming him, though he could see Reid relax a tiny bit.

Reid did, slowly, and when he was convinced there was only Tyler, Caleb, and Pouge in the room, he sat up, looking embarrassed. "Sorry," he muttered, drawing his legs up and leaning against the headboard of his bed. "I sort of had a nightmare."

"That would be an understatement," Pouge said, turning to a wall and lean against it.

"Nobody asked you," Reid said, getting some of his normal attitude back, his eyes lighting up. "I'm going to take a shower."

Surprised at the sudden change in topics, Caleb watched Reid as he carefully stood up and wincing slightly as he moved over to his closet. "Reid—you're bleeding," Tyler said, pointing to Reid's left arm and side.

Reid looked down, then said, "I guess I am. I didn't notice." Reid picked out a long sleeve shirt and pants, then grabbed his bath stuff. He left, making sure to not touch anyone it seemed.

When the boy left the room, Pouge spoke up. "Okay, something is obviously off."

Tyler gave a weak laugh. "No shit. Do you see what I mean when I say he's acting different? He's not his normal smartass-self, and I want to know why."

Caleb nodded. "Same here. How he reacted...that's not normal." Caleb lightly touched the scratches, going into Tyler's half-bathroom, seeing that the scratches were a vibrant red, close to bleeding. "Now it looks like I was attacked by a fricken' cat."

"You can say it was Sarah," Pouge suggested, Tyler laughing.

"From what? A fight or a night of crazy hot sex?" Tyler asked.

Caleb turned and walked out of the bathroom, seeing Pouge shrug. "Whichever one is more believable."

"So a night of crazy hot sex," Caleb answered, sitting on Tyler's bed.

"Bingo." Pouge smiled as Caleb rolled his eyes, Tyler laughing once more.

Caleb shook his head and looked at Tyler who seemed to be calming down. "So, back onto reality, what are we going to do with Reid?"

Tyler sighed, sitting down on Reid's bed. "I don't know. He's... I don't know what's going on in his head, but it's making me angry at whatever caused it. I don't think he's okay around people. Hell, he barely handled the three of us. I mean, at Caleb's touch, he Used and threw him back ten feet."

Pouge and Caleb nodded, silent. "We're going to have to give it time," Caleb finally said. "If he doesn't feel good, we can't press it unless he tells us. Maybe after a week he'll open up."

Pouge laughed. "A week? I don't know Caleb, that's pretty damn optimistic. You think he's going to get over whatever in a week? Nah... Unless something happened and he had to tell someone."

Tyler and Caleb nodded once more, sitting in silence. "I'm going to find Sarah and ask her if she's okay with the excuse," Caleb said, able to give a weak grin.

The other two nodded, Caleb leaving and walking down to the second floor to Sarah's room. When he came to it, he knocked and waited a second before going in. "Oh, hey Caleb!" Sarah said, walking over. She gasped once she saw his neck, and lifted his chin up. "Oh my gosh! What happened?"

Caleb smiled, shrugging. "I guess I got it after a night of crazy hot sex."

"What?!" Kate asked, deciding whether she should laugh or be confused as Sarah's eyes widened, displaying that she was confused.

"That, or you and I got into a fight. It was Pouge's idea." At that, Kate burst out laughing. After a moment, Caleb said, "Reid did it, though. It was an accident...sort of."

Sarah looked appalled still, shaking her head. "Okay, well I don't like being dragged into this. If you must use an excuse, I s'pose you can use the sex one..."

"It is pretty funny," Kate said from the bed.

Caleb grinned, Sarah quickly kissing him on the lips. He hung out the rest of the afternoon, heading back to his room around seven. He changed, and joined Pouge in his dorm room, and even chose to do some homework.

* * *

Wow...it's an update...omg finally!!! Lol, out of the two stories that i'm writing...yeah, i chose to update this one faster. hehehe. Hopefully my reviewers for my other story don't really freak out, since i haven't even typed it up yet...hehe. Oh well. So, i hope you liked this chapter, it's a little better than my last Caleb chapter...i think. Sure. The next chapter is Tyler, and it's pretty cool. Yeah. So, once more, my life is sorta slowing down, and with thanksgiving break next week, i'm really hoping that i'll be able to update again. Wouldn't that be cool? hehe. So yeah, thanks to all of my lovely reviewers, you all make me smile, and i'll try to update asap!!!! 


	11. A Play on Words

-++11+++

Tyler looked at the clock, seeing Reid had been gone for almost forty minutes. "Where the hell is he?" he asked aloud, deciding it'd be safe to look for him, as long as he was cautious. He quickly changed into a t-shirt and jeans, then slipped into the hall heading towards the bathroom.

When he arrived, he opened the door and called out Reid's name. When he didn't get a response, he walked in, looking around before he noticed the gap in the line of mirrors. One had been broken, glass was spread everywhere, and Reid was standing at a sink muttering, "He's not looking anymore, he's not there, not there..."

Tyler ran over, pulling Reid back. The boy flinched, stumbling away out of Tyler's grip. Fear was obvious in Reid's eyes, one fist bloody while the other was shaky. Tyler looked at Reid, to the mirror, then back, nervous about Reid's reaction. "Why did you do that?"

Reid just stood there, silent, looking down like a five year old about to be punished. When he didn't respond, Tyler went over to him, Reid flinching and backing away. "Reid, it's okay," Tyler said, holding his hands out in front of him. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to look at your hand. You're bleeding pretty bad."

Reid looked down, seeing his hand. "Oh. I can't really feel it."

Tyler went over, careful of where he stepped, and lifted Reid's hand up by the wrist with his own good hand. There were shards of glass embedded into his fingers and knuckles, Tyler unknowing of how Reid couldn't feel it and still move his fingers around. "Reid, we're going to have to take you back to the room to get all of the glass out of your hand."

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." A little bit of Reid's defiant attitude came back. Just a little. Still though, he didn't bring his eyes up.

"That's kinda hard to not do Reid when you're bleeding all over the place. Come on." He looked around for Reid's towel, finding it with his bath stuff and ruined clothes. He grabbed everything and gently wrapped the towel around the bleeding hand. "Let's go back to the room," he said gently.

Reid followed beside him, Tyler unknowing what to do about the blood and glass. _I suppose I can call down to the main desk, tell them what happened...sorta. _He led Reid to the mini-bathroom, switching on the bright florescent overhead lights. He unwrapped the towel, Reid still staring blankly at his hand, and tossed the towel in a corner where it wouldn't get in the way. He put Reid's hand under cold water, rolling up the sleeve. He noticed that Reid put his left arm behind his back, but he let it go.

When most of the blood was gone, Tyler looked for his tweezers, then put the trashcan next to them. "This is going to hurt," he said, Reid staring blankly at his hand still.

Tyler grabbed the larger pieces first, then had a hard time finding the smaller shards. He was glad none of the cuts were bad enough for stitches, and he was able to maneuver with his cast. He didn't feel like returning to the hospital though this soon for any reason. When he was done, he lightly ran his fingers over Reid's hand, not feeling anymore shards. He looked for bandages, finding gauze and tape. "I forgot we had some of this stuff," he said, Reid _still _looking distant.

When he was done, Reid said "thanks," and walked over to his bed, lying down, surprising Tyler. Tyler wondered why Reid didn't automatically face their closet, displaying that he didn't want to talk. _Does he want to explain what happened or something?_

Tyler went and sat on his own bed, looking at Reid's dark eyes and asked, "Do you want to tell me what compelled you to shatter a mirror?"

"Not really."

Tyler shrugged. _Figures. _"Okay. I'll take that. But, if you do tell us anything, you don't need to lie. We're your Brothers. Whatever happens to you happens to all of us. If you don't want to tell everyone, then you can at least tell me."

Reid gave what Tyler hoped was a nod, before Reid closed his eyes. Tyler turned towards his homework, then heard Reid ask, "Do you trust Caleb?"

Tyler looked back at Reid, who still had his eyes closed. "Yes. Why?"

"I don't. He thinks he's god and that he leads the best life around. He beat Chase, and has his as well as his father's Power. He has the blonde princess and is the oldest out of all of us. He has everything anyone would wish for, and I can't stand it."

Tyler was surprised at Reid, yet was happy with the normal sounding attitude. "How long have you thought that?"

Reid gave a weak shrug. "Awhile. It's true though."

_Awhile? Since October at least. Probably longer though... _"I don't think of him like that. He's a nice guy, who just happens to fall into the leader category. What you're saying I suppose is true, but, I just don't think of him like that."

Reid just said, "Be careful. I have a bad feeling..." With that, Tyler guessed he fell asleep.

The next few days slowly passed by, Tyler noticing how Reid stayed withdrawn, barely eating. Despite the warming weather, Reid wore all of his long sleeve shirts, and never rolled them up like he usually did. Caleb and Pouge never pushed Reid for answers, thankfully. The one thing Tyler had an issue with was waking up Reid from his nightmares. He hadn't told Caleb or Pouge about Reid's actions at night, since he was having a hard time with his own nightmares. They had begun Tuesday night, and it had his mom coming after him as a darkling, trying to kill him. The next night his Power had grown out of control and killed everyone in the city. Tyler was not excited for the upcoming nights dream.

He sat at lunch, the other three silent as well. Caleb finally broke the silence, asking, "Reid, what was the last full meal you ate?"

Tyler looked at Reid, wondering the same thing. Reid often skipped meals or picked at his food. Reid didn't answer right away, but finally said, "I don't remember. Nikki's, I guess. That really wasn't a meal, whatever I ate. That was the most I last remember eating though."

Pouge stared at him. "What have you been eating since then?"

"Nothing really."

Everyone stared at him, Tyler asking half-jokingly, half serious, "Are you anorexic now?"

Reid shrugged. "I don't know. Not really trying to be. Food's just gross to me. Or at least something that has a smell."

"And you're still not going to say how your spring break was?" Caleb asked.

"No. I'll tell you it was really shitty though."

_At least that's something, _Tyler thought. The group left it at that, for the moment. Caleb said though, to change the subject, "Swimming starts next Monday. Who's all ready?"

Tyler waved his left arm, frowning. "Not me. Coach is going to be pissed. You guys are down a backstroker."

Pouge shrugged. "Only for a couple of weeks. We can survive that long."

Caleb nodded, Tyler shrugging. Reid threw everyone off though when he said, "I don't think I'm going to come back for awhile." Tyler stared at Reid, letting shock cover his face. He thought Caleb and Pouge felt the same. Reid kept his eyes down, his figure tense.

"Why?" Tyler managed to get out.

"I just can't. At least for a couple of weeks. Coach can fuck himself if he's pissed I'm gone. I'll come back when I'm ready."

"We need you though," Caleb said, Reid bringing his eyes up, close to glaring at Caleb.

"You don't need me. You can do breaststroke and backstroke as well as freestyle. You'll be fine."

"You seem to forget how many events we're allowed to swim in a meet, and we can't have two people on a relay. You guys are our two main swimmers on the team." Tyler watched the heated battle between Caleb and Reid, glares seeming harsher than the words.

"Well, you'll just have to deal with it. Who knows, I may never be able to come back if my—" Reid cut off, standing up. "Screw this. I'll see you later."

Reid left, Tyler getting up and following. He caught up with the blonde, deciding it'd be best to be silent. Tyler glanced at his watch, seeing they still had ten minutes. Reid led them to a more hidden part of the building that no one really went to. Reid leaned against the wall, sliding down, bringing his hands up to his face. Tyler sat down across from him, staying silent which he thought Reid appreciated. Finally the blonde spoke, his voice came out quiet and thick like he was trying to hold back tears.

"I can't take it anymore. It's going to drive me insane. I can't handle the dreams anymore. I want to end it all."

Tyler was surprised, unknowing what to say. He did know though that he had to be careful with how he worded his sentences if he wanted Reid to open up. "What is 'it'?"

"It. Everything. Him."

Tyler took a deep breath, knowing he had to ask straight out what was going on. This was probably his moment. _Here's throwing everything to luck...hopefully it's able to catch this. _"Reid, you're going to have to be more specific. I promise everything that you can trust me. If I told anyone else...you could do whatever you want to me afterwards. Is this related to what happened to you over the break?"

Reid gave a weak laugh. "I'm trying to push everything away from spring break. The nightmares though, they only make everything worse...his touch..."

Tyler dimly heard the bell ring for what he guessed lunch to end. "Reid, I don't want to assume anything. Please, tell me."

"Guess. It'd probably be an understatement of what really happened."

As worried as he was about Reid, he was beginning to become irritated at his friend's games. _Calm down. It's obvious something happened to him. I can probably put the pieces together, but do I want to? If I was in his position, would I be telling even one person about whatever? ...I don't know, probably not. _"I'll be patient Reid. If you don't want to say anything yet, you don't have to. If this is how badly it's affecting you, then you need to let some of it out. You can tell me if you want, or a counselor. Just someone."

Reid was silent, Tyler wondering what he was thinking. He still hid his face, but now it was in his knees, his hands grabbing his hair. "I need a release, but I don't know what type yet," he finally said, voice muffled. "I don't trust myself talking, I don't want to feel anymore pain...I just want something sudden that'll force me to talk."

"How long would you be willing to wait until you had to talk?"

"However long. Hopefully less than a month though."

Tyler nodded, then noticed Reid probably didn't see it. "I hope that you say something soon as well. It'll be nice to have the smartass Reid back."

"I'm trying. Obviously it's not really working..." There was a moment of silence, before Reid spoke again. "Besides my usual nightmares, I get other ones, usually involving darklings or other types of death." Reid looked up, Tyler for the first time seeing his sapphire eyes since they arrived into the small room. "Do you?"

Tyler nodded, his voice soft. "Yeah. I'm getting them as well. Mine began Tuesday night."

Reid gave a sharp laugh. "Lucky you. Whenever I was in a normal sleep, I think they began last Saturday. I don't know though. I don't really remember the last week so much. Or, the days at least. Monday I know for sure. Now I know I'm not going completely insane since you get them as well"

"Yeah, these last two nights have been brutal. I'm not eager about tonight."

Reid looked away, now resting his head on top of his knees. "At least you don't have to fear whatever is coming later. I have two or more types, and you'd think that'd be enough to keep me awake, but...I still need sleep too..."

Tyler knew Reid purposely faded off. _He's not ready to tell me. I hope he lets it out soon though. It's crushing me to see my best friend like this. I can put the pieces together, they're all right in front of me, but..._I'm _afraid to. Does that make me a bad person? _"Well, next weekend will at least be fun, since I turn eighteen. Think we can make it until then? And then you have a month afterwards until you turn eighteen. Think that's close?"

Reid sighed. "Next weekend? A year. A month? An eternity. I really don't think I'm going to survive that long. If I do, I'll be surprised."

"You'll make it. Have a little faith." Tyler tried to sound relaxed, but it didn't go how he intended.

"All that faith was ripped away from me. I can barely control my own life. I thought I could, but I was proven wrong. I can't even summon up my own Power anymore."

"What?" Tyler lost his breath, and couldn't help but stare at his friend.

"I can't feel it anymore. Obviously it's still there since I'm still alive, but...I can't feel it. It's like...I'm younger than thirteen again. It's like I don't know how to call it anymore."

Tyler was silent, his mind completely blank. "Do, do you think your depression might have caused it? I mean, you are all, well, depressed...and stuff."

Reid gave a weak shrug, still not looking at Tyler. "Yeah, is suppose you can say I'm depressed...not quite suicidal yet, so yeah, depressed."

"I won't allow you to become suicidal," Tyler said, making sure how serious he was reached Reid.

"I know. I don't think it'll go that far. I hope...sort of...it doesn't go that far."

Tyler nodded, even though he doubted that Reid saw it. They sat in silence for a little while, Tyler finally saying, "I'm glad you began to open up. Maybe it'll help your dreams—nightmares—a little. Who knows?"

"Yeah, I hope it helps some as well."

Obviously Reid was done talking, Tyler looking at his watch and seeing that most of the period was over. "I suppose we can stay here for the rest of fifth hour. We have roughly fifteen minutes."

Reid made some non-commental sound, Tyler assuming it was some sort of "Sure."

XXX——X——XXX

"You're to easy to manipulate," Chase said, standing in front of Tyler. "You give into anyone's emotions. You draw from them, too weak to have your own thoughts or feelings. Boy, do I feel bad for you."

Tyler stood in the open field, deciding not to respond to anything. That only seemed to motivate Chase. "See? You can't even stand up for yourself. How pathetic."

"Anything I say or do only seems to please you. I'm sick of it. What do you want?"

Chase walked around, looking over the grassy, never ending field. "Oh, nothing really. Just the usual, to see how far I can push you. I see you as a worthy follower, since you're simple-minded enough to do it. I know you'll say that you'll never join me, but I believe that one day, sometime soon since I'm bored of waiting, you will join me."

"In your wildest dreams. You're evil and I'm good. I'm smarter than you. I can see through your plans."

Chase laughed. "That's funny. My dear, dear Brother, that's all in _your_ wildest dreams. While I've been away, I've learned a few tricks, such as this alternate state of dreams. Now...I'm bored of talking. Let's begin."

Chase disappeared, the field calm for the time being. Soon though, the ground began to move slightly, something grabbing Tyler's ankle. He gave a surprised yell, trying to get whatever was on him off. When he saw the gray skin, he filled himself with the Power, as another hand grabbed his other ankle. He shot at the hands, then jumped into the air. He floated above the rising bodies, wondering how long he could stay up there without falling.

"Oh, that's cheating," Chases voice said, echoing all around. "If you're going to do that, then I suppose I have to alter the rules."

The ground shot up, meeting Tyler's feet. He tried to jump again, but his feet were planted on the ground or the ground was meeting his feet that fast. Both thoughts made him angry and nervous.

He tried to get away, but he felt the cold hands grab his legs, trying to pull him down once more. When he didn't move fast enough, he was bit, feeling each tooth dig through his pants into his skin. He yelled, trying to get the monster off of him. He was bitten again on his right leg, managing to collect his thoughts enough to throw a burst of power at each of the heads, the teeth coming out slowly.

He continued running, shooting whatever darklings he saw in front of and around him . His legs were numbing where he had been bitten, and he thought he was bleeding.

"Are the bites getting to you? I'm sorry, but you're not going to be yourself soon. You're becoming one of _them._"

Tyler stumbled, beginning to cough. He saw blood on his hands, his breath coming short. He fell onto the ground, coughing up more blood than getting air into his lungs. He was becoming cold, his vision washing out, blurring into white. It was blinding, and the pain now throughout his body seemed to only make it worse. He could feel the cold hands gripping him, teeth biting him in as many places as possible, the side of his neck the most painful. He noticed he had stopped breathing, and could feel the blood bubbling up in his throat. He only became colder and colder which only caused the pain to sharpen. Tyler wanted to tear each of his limbs off, thinking that would feel better than what was going on now. Only, he couldn't tell if he was moving or not anymore. The coppery taste was fading from his tongue, the smell of rotting corpses leaving his nose.

At that point, everything vanished. He knew he was dead. He knew Chase was laughing at him for being weak.

XXX——X——XXX

"Breathe! Come on Tyler, breathe! Wake up!"

Tyler woke up, wondering why he was being shaken. He took in a deep breath, and began coughing. He still felt the teeth marks on his ankles and neck, each limb almost burning itself off, the coppery taste of blood coating his mouth, the smell of dead flesh in his nose... It all made him cough harder, wanting to retch. Something was pushed into his hand, feeling cold. He realized it was a glass of water, and brought it up to his mouth, trying to control his shaky hand. It helped calm him down and clear his senses. He drank the water, feeling his heart beating precious blood through him, feeling sweat drip down his skin and his breath begin slow to what it normally was.

He finally opened his eyes, seeing Reid standing over him, still wearing a long sleeve shirt and pants. "Are you okay now?" he asked, looking worried.

Tyler nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet. Reid took the glass, heading towards the bathroom to fill it up again. Tyler slowly relaxed, realizing how tired he was, or how tired the nightmare had made him. Reid returned, handing the glass to Tyler before sitting on his own bed. Finally, "So, was it a nightmare?"

Tyler nodded again, the bathroom light bright enough to give him a clear view of the room and Reid. "Yeah. This one was the worst by far. It's a change of events though, you waking me instead of me waking you."

Reid had a ghost of a smile on his pale face. "Yeah, I guess you can say that. I managed to wake up from my own nightmare, and then I heard you."

"Like...how?"

Reid gave a weak shrug. "You were yelling, more into your pillow to dim the sound I guess. Then you sort of stopped, but moved around. I came over, and got you onto your back. I tried to wake you up, and that's when you quit your breathing and became still."

_So he woke up when I was towards the end of the dream...luckily he woke up though... _"Thanks. Was your nightmare from whatever or from Chase?"

"Whatever. I had my Chase dream earlier."

"And I didn't wake you. I'm sorry."

Reid shrugged, getting up and taking the once more empty glass from Tyler. "It's no problem. We have a couple more hours before we have to get up though."

Tyler watched Reid turn the light off and heard him make his way back to his bed. When he was sure Reid was asleep, he allowed himself to fall into sleep as well.

* * *

Soo...here it is!!! Chapter 11!!! omg i'm excited. and yay's, it's been like, a week, and i'm updating!! I think it's been a week...if it's been longer...i'm really sorry. :D but it's a good chapter, i think. More into Tyler and Reid. So. Next chapter is Reid. Yays. More angst. XD yeah, more stuff with him. umm...yeah...soo...Thanks to all of you who review, i love you all!!!! Cus the more reviews i get, the more i feel seriously loved. hehe. so yeah...i'll try to have the next chapter out again soon...but dont count on it. Sorry!! Thanks again to all of you readers!!!! 


	12. Daytime Terrors

--++12++--

Reid woke up to the shrill alarm of his clock. It read seven o'clock but it felt much earlier. He pressed snooze, looking at Tyler. The other boy was stirring, pulling the covers over his head. "S'too early..." he mumbled, Reid closing his eyes to allow a couple more minutes of sleep...

He was hanging upside down, trapped in a box that was slightly bigger than him. He felt it shake then pushed over, Reid slamming onto his back. He was rolling he next realized, hitting every part of the box he could, the chains that were wrapped around his legs pounding into his legs like a hammer, landing harder and harder. He noticed the space was closing in around him, becoming his figure. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, but he was still rolling... Once he stopped he was kicked in the side, the wood splintering and flying around him, some pieces becoming entrapped within his flesh.

Above him was his uncle, bigger than he last remembered. He had to be at least eight feet tall and twice as wide than before. He smacked a belt onto his palm, smiling, blue eyes full of amusement.

"Hello Air. You still remember everything, right?"

Reid nodded aggressively, stumbling out, "Y-yes s-sir."

"You don't seem too sure of yourself. Well...just in case, I better refresh your memory."

His uncle cracked his belt in the air like a whip then brought it down towards Reid. Reid tensed up and knew there was no way to avoid the belt buckle that was encrusted with large spikes, sharp enough to dig into cement. _Those are going to break me, tear me to shreds,_ he managed to think. He could see each little specific point prepare to meet his flesh and chomp into it. Reid was too terrified to move, scream, or even breathe...

_Beep beep beep..._

Reid jerked awake, breathing hard and feeling a headache approaching. He was disoriented and only heard the alarm clock going off. He tried to reach towards it, feeling hot and sweaty, almost wanting to roll up his sleeves. Something beat his hand to the clock, bumping into his hand on the way.

"Reid, your skin is really warm. Are you okay?" Tyler asked, sounding further away than Reid thought he was.

Reid nodded his head, which was a bad choice. He still had the huge injury on the side of his head from his uncle hitting him with the board. He felt sick for a moment, not saying anything until the feeling passed. "Oh. I didn't realize it." He pulled his hand away quickly and opened his eyes.

"You're sweating and you're face is red."

Reid looked away. "Oh, well, I...just had a nightmare. No big deal."

"About whatever?"

Reid barely nodded, his voice not much more verbal. "Yeah..."

Tyler only nodded, saying, "Well, let's get dressed at least and grab some breakfast."

Reid went over to his part of the closet, picking out the ordinary school outfit. He went into the bathroom, locking it more out of paranoia than anything. He stripped down, looking at himself. Most of the bruises were beginning to fade, as well as the X on his back. The cuts on his arms though would probably be sticking around for another couple of weeks. He looked at his right shoulder, feeling it softly. It still hurt, but not as bad. He could move his arm a little lower than shoulder level up and a couple of inches back behind him. On his face, the majority of his scratches were healing nicely, and he probably wouldn't have any scars. If he was lucky.

He put on his clothes, seeing most of the marks on his legs faded. _At least I'll be able to wear shorts comfortably soon..._

He carefully combed his hair and left the bathroom, Tyler already dressed and ready. The two grabbed their bags and headed towards the first floor where breakfast and dinner was served. Reid noticed Pouge and Caleb first, not saying anything until Tyler pointed them out. "Hey, I see Caleb, Sarah, Pouge, and Kate."

"I know."

Reid followed Tyler, suddenly uncomfortable. He never realized how much Caleb looking like his uncle. He was probably still out of it from his nightmare and only imagining things, but Caleb and Jarrod had the same body build, strength, and hair. Their eyes were the only thing that set them apart physically. Reid stopped walking further back than Tyler did, staying more in the distance than up close and personal. Everyone said their hi's, Reid continuing to look more towards the ground than at anyone else until he heard, "Oh, Reid! I haven't seen you in awhile." He looked up, seeing Sarah smiling at him. "How are you?"

"Alive," he simply responded, Sarah looking at him oddly, unknowing what to say to that.

"He's been better," Caleb said, placing a hand on Sarah's shoulder, then blonde then nodding.

"It's an odd way to word it though..."

Everyone stood up and went to grab their food, Reid only grabbing juice and a plain bagel. He didn't know the last time he had actual hunger. How he was surviving on so little either he didn't know. But, food did seem gross to him and if the smell was strong enough, he wanted to retch. He nibbled on his bagel as the other five talked to each other, Tyler having his moments of silence as well. "At least it's Friday," Reid muttered, half of one piece of his bagel gone.

"That's true," Tyler responded, looking over and Reid noticing the surprised look that overcame Tyler's face. "You're eating!"

Reid began to turn defensive. "It's plain and simple. I usually have a piece of this in the mornings."

Tyler's expression changed into confusion. "Really? ...I never noticed."

Reid slammed his defenses up, hoping Tyler would see the sudden darkness that came over him. "You're usually talking to Caleb and Pouge."

Tyler's face fell. "Oh. I'm sorry. I—"

"You don't need to apologize. It just reminds me how careless I am and how I can't rely on people."

Reid stood up and left, making sure he had his bag with him. He could feel everyone looking at him, but he didn't care. He had a hidden message in what he told Tyler, and hoped the brunette would catch it. _Tyler has to figure it out. I know he does know...he just doesn't want to admit it as well. I can't lean on a weak pillar, and I can't seem to lean on a strong one. I guess I have to learn to lean on myself. I...I want to talk though...to someone._

Reid reached his truck and climbed in, soon heading out of the parking lot and towards the school. It was such a habit that he didn't notice anything around him anymore. He just knew that he was cold. He always was, which happily gave him an excuse to wear the shirts that covered the cuts. He felt like he needed some sort of release. Too much pain was building, too much stress, too many nightmares... He just wanted to scream, hurt himself, just something.

He heard something thump onto his windshield, which caused him to return to reality. He yelled in surprise and slammed on the breaks, the wheels sliding on the damp morning road. He turned his steering wheel to get the creature off of his truck but it was banging on his windshield, beginning to break it. Reid only had eyes for the monster as his car stopped moving, the windshield shattering and the monster's hand reaching quickly for Reid's neck...

He heard banging on his truck door which caused Reid to yell in surprise and back away from the door the best he could since he happened to be wearing a seatbelt for once. His brain finally recognized it was Caleb, who looked worried. Reid couldn't breathe and his heart was going to tear itself apart any second now. He looked back at his windshield, everything looking fine. His lungs began to work again and he was able to breathe once more.

Reid sat up, slowly, Caleb opening the door, Reid noticing that they were oddly the only two cars on the road. In a couple of minutes, Reid figured the rest of the school would be coming down this way.

"Reid, what happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Reid knew his voice sounded bad and it was obvious that he was frightened about something, but he wasn't going to tell Caleb, the most wonderful man of all.

"You don't look it, and your truck is almost sideways."

"I slipped on some water, and I wasn't paying much attention." _Semi-truth. Well, incomplete truth._

Caleb just looked at him, then shook his head. "Reid, you don't have to lie. We're Brothers, as much as you forget that. If you don't want to tell me, fine. We better get moving though, otherwise we're going to create a scene."

Caleb turned and went back to his dark silver mustang, Reid shutting his door and realigning himself in his seat before making sure his truck was still running and taking off down the road. A new thought arose to the top of his mind as he paid more attention to the road ahead of him. _Why am I the only one who seems to see all of the darklings? Tyler's seen them, I suppose, but this is...my third or fourth in the past week. And the dreams aren't any better... There's...uncle, and then Chase. He's going to come back soon, I know it. _Reid gave a weak laugh as he saw the school. _I hope Chase and Jarrod _both _don't come back. I don't need that kind of fear._

Reid found close to his normal spot and parked, Caleb down a couple of spots. Reid grabbed his bag and got out of the truck, locking it, and walked straight to the school. He knew Caleb would catch up, and soon Tyler and Pouge would be there... And they'd all be one big happy family. Not. Maybe that's what Caleb wanted, but Reid wasn't in the mood to deal with people.

_That's a normal attitude, right? Not wanting to be around people? Oh god, I'm really losing it... I can barely remember anything before he—_

A force opened his mouth. A tight grip down where it hurt like hell. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move as fear wrapped its way around him like a present. He felt his uncle opening his mouth, his tongue meeting Reid's...

Something touched Reid's shoulder causing him to yell in fear. He attempted to jump away, but it turned into a stumbling as far away from the person as possible. He fell down, soon sitting on his ass, close to huddling. He was hot and shaky again, which he ignored for the time being. He saw the mouth move, the person trying to say something to him. All he noticed was the mouth moving, and the hand reaching out to grab him. The person crouched down to his level, Reid's main focus still on the mouth and hands.

Something moved across his vision, causing Reid to look up and flinch. He slowly realized it was Caleb again, and his fears slowly left him, allowing him to catch the last of Caleb's words. "...at me. Focus."

Reid blinked, calming his breathing down, his heart refusing to listen to him. Reid scrambled a couple of steps away from Caleb, able to stand up and say, "Don't touch me." With that he quickly walked off, unaware of Pouge or Tyler walking up.

It took Reid the rest of the morning to calm down. He did share the first couple of classes with Caleb or Tyler, Reid usually not seeing all three together until the period before lunch. When class ended and the lunch period began, Reid somehow managed to get away from Tyler, Caleb, and Pouge. To him this was quite a feat, since he sat next to Tyler, and Caleb and Pouge weren't that far away. He headed out a set of doors that led to the north, soon coming to the stone courtyard where Aaron had kicked his ass. _Disgusting prick..._

Reid sat against the wall, just looking at the trees and sky. He didn't know what else to do except think. He thought about what he had become, what had happened, what was _happening, _and how his life had seemed to change so drastically he couldn't even call up his own power. The want of talking to someone disappeared. _No, I don't need anyone to talk to. Tyler...I don't even know if I can trust him. He'd tell Caleb and Pouge. I never made him promise. But what if he does tell them? What if he has already told them? They haven't been acting any different...would they though? ...Yeah, they'd act differerent...they'd want to keep a constant eye on me._

Looking around, he stood up and walked towards the end of the school's property, towards the trees. He saw the darkness within the trees and was pulled towards it. He entered the den, all light fading away, seeming to run away from him. He wandered between the trees, a force pulling him somewhere within. Finally he came up to a stone house that was falling apart, large holes apparent. He felt dread and fear and instantly wanted to go back. He was now pushed towards the house and his name was being called in the wind.

Reluctantly, with "_Reid, Reid, Reid_," pulsing in his ears, he walked to the front door. It was wooden, old looking, and had a large red X on it. He pushed it open, smells of decay, mold, dirt, and stale air entering his nose. He took a careful step in, wood creaking under his feet. Through the broken gaps in the walls, he could see a broken desk and chair, along with a shredded couch. The walls were an old, gross looking yellow-white, and bare.

He moved farther into the house, coming upon another door. He pushed it open, light spilling him and causing him to blink a couple of times. Compared to this room, the other room was almost pitch black. He looked around and guessed the room was supposed to be a kitchen, but only pieces of chairs and a table remained, while the counters along the wall had been smashed almost to dust, the cupboards were barely hanging on the wall.

He noticed a door on the ground, to obvious to be a hidden or trap door. He walked over to it carefully, lifting the bronze latch and pulling it open. The smell of putrid gas met his nose, traveling into his system. He turned away, dropping the heavy door, trying to grab a breath of fresh air before he retched all over everything.

Reid heard rather than saw everything happen. There was a splintering sound, then a cracking noise soon afterwards. He felt the boards across the floor shift, slowly beginning to break and fall. Reid attempted to stand up, but the sudden movement caused the boards he was standing on to break first. He fell, but luckily it wasn't very far. When he landed he crumpled on the ground, but he quickly recovered. He tried to look around, only there was nothing to see. The only light that came in was from the hole where he had fallen through. Reid felt the ground around him, pulling back once he felt a bone, feeling long like it was from an arm or a leg.

He stood up, heart now racing, breathing fast. He looked around, barely seeing the outline of bones littered around him, and couldn't move without stepping on one. He looked back up at the hole to see how far up it was. Reid froze as he saw the boards fix themselves and block the hole he had come through. Reid could feel himself begin to panic as the blackness slowly began to overcome him, entrapping him with his fear. Any chance of finding his power now was gone.

Reid felt something stir in the ground, causing him to jump. He wished he could feel his powers. He would've been out of there when he saw the boards begin to fix themselves. No, scratch that. He would've been out of there once he saw the bones, or even when he fell. Reid was drawn out of his thoughts as the stirring became restless, and a sharp breeze was running over skin, soaking into his body. He tried to get it off, but didn't know how. He was becoming frantic, and felt something like maggots begin to crawl under his skin, writhing themselves deeper and deeper into his body.

The next thing Reid felt was something pierce both his ankles and pulling them together, pushing all the way through to the other side. Reid yelled as the thing pulled its way through even more, and then pierced his legs again, seeming to sew it's way up. Reid dropped onto his side, yelling as the thing slowly worked its way up, stopping at his knees. He could still feel the maggot-type things eating each little piece of muscle and tissue away, helping encourage the blood flow. Something else began to wind its way around his legs, then continued on and wrapped its way around his arms. Reid tried to squirm away, but he was weak from the pain and blood loss. The new tormentor continued to wrap around his body, up his neck, and then pushed itself into his mouth and down his throat. Reid began gagging, and thought it was a vine. He tried to bite it off, but failed. The vine continued to snake down his throat and into his stomach and lungs, even parts running up and out of his nose.

Reid began choking, fading away even through the pain. He tasted rotting leaves, felt the little magogots crawling throughout his figure, and couldn't feel his legs below his knees. Then, he was distant, just full of pain but fading away.

The knife-branch-thing that had embedded itself through his legs pulled straight out, shredding the remaining part of his legs. He wanted to yell, but the vine was suffocating him. He'd be gone soon, he knew. The maggots began to explode, pieces of his body snapping and going numb, blood spraying everywhere. The leaves on the vines suddenly sharpened and pulled out of Reid, more muscle, tissue, and nerves slit as oxygen rushed into him. He was soon breathing blood, every part of him damaged, dying, and bleeding. A pain so awful ran through him, feeling like a numb heat. He couldn't move, couldn't think, and couldn't comprehend he was dying and that this was happening...

He laid there flat on the ground, the soil absorbing every splash of blood that happened to land on it. Reid could feel the life drain out of him and blood beginning to exit out of his mouth.

He began to fade, the pair of eyes he had been staring into and the gleeful faces soon disappearing.

XXX——X——XXX

It was hard to wake up. He felt someone shaking him and calling out his name. He was in so much pain though. He didn't know how to get away. He finally managed to wake up, the dream ripping itself from his core mind, heading towards the back where he was going to remember it. He was gazing at Tyler and didn't want to move, not even get away from his friend's comforting hand.

Without holding back, Reid burst into tears, sobbing almost uncontrollably. He barely comprehended Tyler pulling him into a comforting hug or the hands running up and down his back. He cried on Tyler's shoulder, unable to control himself. The nightmares were becoming worse and he didn't know why. All he wanted was for everything to leave him alone.

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Oh the poor tormented Reid!!!!! He's to cute tho, so he's basically begging for it...hmm... yeah. So. here's chapter 12, and yeah... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! or happy holidays to any of you who dont believe in christmas or whatever. ummm i think this is out at an okay time...i have no idea... oh well. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, and it's with Pouge, and dives into more Reid problems...cus he gets drunk...lol. I'M NOT A RACIST!!!!!! just a future warning, cus i hate doing the little things at the beginning of the chapter tho i'm sure i'll put one up cus i'd hate to get kicked of off fanfic...so yeah. And my reviewers I love you all dearly for reviewing constantly and letting me know what you think!!! I'm oh so proud of all of you!!!!!!!!! hehe, y'all make me smile...and i'm not a hick. i swear. I'm from colorado. No accent whatsoever. I blame my boyfriend and all my friends from texas. lol. so. yeah. this is a long a/n...hehe. I'll try to update once more before the break is over and continue writing this story...yeah. My Harry Potter fic...screwed. That's not getting updated for awhile until i finish writing the chapter...i'm in trouble...hehe. well, thanks again to all of you, and yeah, Until Next Time!!!!!! 


	13. Sober Thoughts and Drunken Fights

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Disclaimer:: Damn...y'all have no idea how much I REALLY hate these things, but I can get into some major shit for this chapter. K. I AM NOT A RACIST!!!!!! I'm really mean towards anyone with mixed heritages, who's German, Japanese and Chinese especially, and yea, I seriously do not mean any of it. It's just to help further the story. If i make any racist comments towards whites...well...I'm about as white as they come, so i see it as okay. and America...there's better places on earth than here. Well. Yes. That's my Disclaimer, please don't shoot me if you fall under those three/four ethnicities, or any other that happens to be mentioned that i forgot about. Yea. Continuing.

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Pouge met up with Kate after school, not seeing Reid or Tyler. Caleb still wasn't going to press for any information, which was beginning to annoy Pouge. _He _wanted to know what was going on. Tyler had told them a couple of things at least of how Reid was acting, and all Pouge kept remembering was the discussion he and Tyler had back in the hospital.

"_You make it sound as if he was abused."_

"_I'm not suggesting anything. I don't think it's that because he had nice parents..."_

Pouge kissed Kate on the lips, the soft, quick gesture of love and care all he wanted to show...in public. She grasped his arm, looking into his eyes. "There's a party tonight. Do you want to go?"

Pouge looked around, wondering where Caleb had disappeared to. "Yeah, I suppose. It's a Friday, so why not have a nice way to start off the rest of the school year?"

She smiled. "That's great! It's over by Aaron's place though."

Pouge's guard went up. "Aaron's? Who lives over by him?"

Kate thought for a second as they began walking to Pouge's car. It was still a little cold for his bike, and he had been giving Kate rides to school. "Umm...Dustin...oh, I don't remember his last name. Transfer, I think. It's sort of like a welcoming party I suppose, for him to meet and get to know everyone."

Pouge gave a shrug. "Sounds like a wannabe to me."

Pouge could feel Kate looking at him, and he risked a glance, seeing her pleading eyes. "You'll still go, right? It's supposed to be a lot of fun."

"That's what most parties are—until the cops are called. How old is he anyway?"

"Sixteen or seventeen. He's a senior though. _Really_ smart kid."

"Yeah, he's a wannabe." Pouge unlocked the doors to Audi R8, both sliding onto the black leather. "I'm allowed to invite Caleb, Tyler, and Reid, right?"

He looked at Kate before backing out and tearing out of the parking lot. "Yeah! He actually asked me if I was going out with you—yes, if I was good friends with the four of you—yes, and if you all could come to the party. He really wants to meet you."

Pouge didn't understand how Kate could be so uppity and happy about this guy. This Dustin-character was beginning to sound like Chase. "I don't like him. If he wants to meet the four of us so bad, he can come find us. We don't try to stay hidden or anything. He's too curious."

He saw Kate shrug out of the corner or his eye. "I suppose. I wanna see his place though... Do you still want to go?"

Pouge thought about it. "Yeah, I'll go. Only to see who he is. He can meet us, and then we're out of there."

Kate gave a sigh, Pouge having a feeling she was upset about the plans. When they were back at the dorms, Pouge went to his room, starting on homework while he waited for Caleb. Kate was going to come him around the time she thought they should leave, but he didn't know when that would be. For safety he changed into black pants and a navy blue long sleeve shirt. Well, the shirt was lying on his bed and he wore a black wife beater until Kate came and fetched him.

At quarter to five, Caleb came in, looking stressed. Pouge sensed something was wrong before he set eyes on the other teen. Pouge watched the other teen silently, Caleb finally asking, "You're gonna ask, aren't you?" Pouge watched as Caleb set his backpack at the edge of his bed and stripped off his school clothes.

"Yeah. I know it's bad when I can sense it before looking at you. What's up now?"

Caleb didn't answer until he put his green t-shirt on. "It's Reid. He's not talking to anybody, and freaks out at everyone or thing that comes near him. I'm out of the question. If he could have, he probably would have Used as much as possible to get me out of the room. Tyler can come near him, but not for a long time. A couple of seconds before Reid starts pushing himself away."

Caleb changed his pants and socks, then laid on his bed. Pouge just stared at him. "Wait, what? How did this happen? I thought he was getting better?"

Caleb shrugged. "I thought he was too. I'm guessing he doesn't trust anyone, and I don't think he even trusts himself."

Pouge stared at a wall, thinking. "Is he just a terrified-scared, or a violent-scared?"

"A little of both. When he saw me, he froze and when I came closer to him, he told me to get out and stated throwing books at me. Tyler followed me out and told me that Reid basically doesn't trust me, and hasn't for a long time. He mentioned that _he _couldn't even be near Reid for a long time, otherwise Reid would just become terrified and start freaking out."

"_You make it sound as if he was abused."_

"_I'm not suggesting anything..."_

"Caleb," Pouge asked, still remembering the conversation from the hospital, "Do you think Reid was abused? There's nothing else I can think of."

He looked at his friend, the other looking at him. Caleb was silent, thinking. "I've been wondering that as well. My vote is yes, but who could have done it? His father is never home, and he's a sweet guy, as well as his mother. She talks to him, but doesn't follow him around or anything. Hell, she basically avoids the second floor."

"Could it be a relative or anything?"

"I don't remember Reid ever mentioning any other family members... It's a possibility, but he's very quiet about his mom's side, and I'm pretty sure his dad doesn't have any brothers or anything, like our own fathers."

Pouge nodded. "I know. I just hoped you remembered something that I didn't." They laid there for awhile, Pouge finally asking, "Do you want to go to a party tonight?"

Caleb looked like Pouge caught him off-guard. "Uh...sure. Why?"

"Kate asked. I guess there's this new guy that wants to meet us."

Pouge knew that caught Caleb's attention. "Meet us?"

"Yeah. I don't trust him already. Sounds a little like Chase to me."

"Yeah..."

The discussion seemed wrapped up, and the boy's decided to work on their homework until Kate and Sarah came to grab the boys at eight thirty. They managed to get Tyler and surprisingly Reid to come as well, Pouge careful to not surprise the younger teen. Reid seemed stable at the moment, but who knew what could set him off.

Pouge and Kate led the way, Caleb and Sarah driving behind them, Tyler and Reid following close behind. Kate gave directions, Pouge finding the house on the northern side of town and two doors down from Aaron's. Pouge wondered if Dustin drove into town everyday, or if he stayed at one of the other set of dorms. Kate pointed out a spot, Caleb and Tyler parking behind him on the side of the road. There were plenty of cars around now, but Pouge figured there'd be even more arriving in the next half hour or so.

They all walked up the street a little bit, and then up the large front steps into the house/mini mansion. There was a large garden at the edge of the front porch, flowers of all sorts sticking out of the woodchips. Pouge walked into the place first, music meeting his ears before the door fully opened. The six walked in, Pouge seeing a short hallway that led into a very large dining room/entertainment center. There was wood flooring everywhere, so a spill would luckily be easy to clean up. Some people had all the luck with rich families.

Kate took control and led them towards the living room dance floor, a lot more people there than Pouge had originally thought. Then he saw the kegs. _Ah the sweet call of liquor. Calls teens like flies to honey. _Kate looked around, before pointing. "That's Dustin."

Dustin wasn't what he had originally pictured. Dustin was Asian, with blonde streaks in his medium-length hair. He was on the shorter side, but he was big with muscles. He didn't wear glasses and looked relaxed in simple tan cargo pants and a black t-shirt with a white long sleeve underneath. He saw the group of six and came over, smiling. "Ah, Kate, you came."

What through Pouge off the most was the accent. He had never heard of a British Asian, maybe borderline Scottish. "Hey Dustin. These are my friends." She introduced each of them, Pouge seeing Reid's eyes darting around as if he was locating all of the exits and possible exits, and then calculating how long it'd take for him to get there. _Screw the maybe, he probably _is_ doing that._

The group stayed longer than they had intended, Pouge especially. After giving Reid what seemed to be half a keg, the blonde began to calm down and return to his normal self, plus the drunken retardedness. Dustin came and talked to them often, asking a lot about their life and what they did for fun. At one accusing glare Pouge gave him, he chuckled and said, "Sorry lad. Didn't mean to be intrusive. I'm just curious. I've grown up in a lot of different places, so all the customs are different. Just trying to fit in."

Caleb and Tyler nodded, Reid asking, "Why are you a British Asian who's really white?"

Pouge, and he thought everyone else around him smacked their heads mentally, maybe punching Reid in the process. Dustin chuckled though. "Oh, my mom was white but my dad was Japanese. I was born and raised in Japan, and moved around Tokyo for awhile, then we moved to Germany for a year, then up to Great Britian. I lived in London for about five years, then in Scotland for three, Ireland for three, Canada for three, and now I live here. Lots of customs and accents."

"So are you a mutt?"

Dustin seemed to become a little restless at that question. "No, I don't have mixed heritage, just a lot of cultural background."

"So did you have any friends? Is that why you're trying too hard here? You want to make it the best before you chinks up and leave again?"

Pouge did smack his forehead and mutter "Reid..." Even though he had been wondering something along those lines as well, he wasn't about to ask that. Dustin though seemed like he was becoming irritated with Reid. "Yes, I had friends. I had a lot. And I had to leave them all. Why I even bothered making friends was pointless, I knew that. But, it just sort of happened."

Pouge was mentally clapping that Dustin brushed off the "chink" comment. Reid opened his mouth again, asking, "So, what religion are you? Do you even have one since you've moved around so much? Do chinks even have religions?"

Now Pouge could see the anger forming on Dustin's face. "I'm willing to accept the fact that you're drunk, but I'm going to ask you once to stop calling me by that name. I may look it, but as I said my father was Japanese and my mother was American."

"So...from where you grew up... Are you a Nazi communistic bastard who's a chink? That's pretty impressive."

Reid pushed it too far. Dustin grabbed Reid by the collar and threw him onto the floor, the bar stool falling over. Tyler made a move, but Caleb held him back. "Tyler, Reid seriously deserves this one. It was his own fault he got into this. Now, he can get himself out."

Pouge agreed, and watched the slightly smaller frame of Dustin tackle Reid. Reid was punched twice in the nose, the blonde managing to land a fist in the bottom center of Dustin's jaw, sending the even younger teen back. Reid took that moment to sit up and push Dustin off of him. They both stood up at the same time, Reid's nose dripping blood onto the floor. Pouge thought Dustin should be happy it would at least be an easy cleanup. Kate was gripping his arm, Sarah doing the same to Caleb. Tyler just stood and watched, obviously wanting to help, especially as a crowd began to appear around them. Soon into their fight, Pouge noticed that Reid and Dustin seemed to be evenly matched. Every punch Dustin threw, Reid dodged with ease, and vice versa. Finally, Reid kicked Dustin, only it mostly missed, the darker-skinned boy taking the opportunity to grab Reid's leg and pulling it so Reid lost his balance and fell.

Pouge couldn't help but wince a little as he saw Reid land flat on his back and hear the air leave his friend. Dustin brought his leg up, preparing to kick Reid again, only several things happened at once. The lights were cut off, the sound of siren's filled the air, Pouge dimly saw Dustin fly back and crash into a wall, and people began moving to get away as fast as possible. Pouge grabbed Kate and thought he saw Tyler lifting Reid off of the ground and Caleb grabbing Sarah. They all ran out into the backyard like everyone else, Pouge glancing around the corner of the house and seeing the cops close by.

"If we go, we have a very good chance of getting busted." Pouge turned and saw the other four a little worried, Reid almost unconscious.

"Then what should we do?" Sarah asked.

Caleb nodded, Pouge and Tyler hesitating. Sarah definitely knew about them, but Kate didn't know everything. "It's our only chance. We can hide up on the roof and not get busted," Caleb said.

"What if someone sees us?" Tyler asked, trying to keep his hold onto the fading Reid.

"A lot of people are worried about what's in front of them. We're all dark enough so we won't get seen." Caleb paused, Pouge almost sure the cops were arriving at the house. "You've told her, right?" Pouge didn't say anything, Kate confused. "Dammit Pouge, we can't always hide who we are. You have to trust."

"What are you guys talking about?" Kate asked as Pouge said, "She knows a little."

"Too late you guys. We have to go. It's all or nothing," Tyler said, looking around. Caleb nodded, Tyler getting a better hold on Reid, Sarah gripping onto Caleb. Pouge clasped onto Kate, who looked unsure of what to do.

Pouge quickly allowed the power to fill him up as the three jumped into the air. Pouge noticed that Kate was about to let out some sort of noise, so he covered her mouth before they could get spotted. They landed on a patio on the second floor, heading back into the shadows. Tyler was having a hard time holding onto Reid with his injured wrist, Caleb helping out. When Reid was secured, the three jumped again, carefully landing on the top of the house, seeing their cars.

"Cool, now how do we get down there?" Sarah asked.

"Figuring that out," Caleb replied softly, looking around the surrounding area.

Pouge surveyed the area as well, thinking. There were three cop cars, a lot of lights, and a lot of people who had been caught, all spreading around the front of the house and in the street. _If there weren't so many goddamn lights, we might be able to pull this off... A distraction maybe?_

"Hey Caleb," Pouge muttered aloud, looking for the best spot to cause the distraction at.

"Yeah?"

"I know how to get out of this." He caught Caleb's and Tyler's questioning looks, replying with a smirk. He let the power flow through him, and found a spot that would allow them just enough time. "Get ready to fly," he said as he focused his power into a ball and shot it at a neighbor's tree two houses down across the street, and in the opposite direction that they needed. The tree shattered, bits catching on fire. The boys took their chance and jumped off of the roof, Kate shocked into silence, which he was thankful for at the moment.

They all landed as one and took off towards their cars. Caleb helped Reid into Tyler's car, Pouge almost having to drag Kate into his. She finally realized she was on the ground, and began walking on her own as Sarah waited, then ran to Caleb's car with him. Tyler took off first, Caleb next, Pouge bringing up the rear, the cops now realizing that more students were getting away. It was too late though, now that they were home free. Halfway back, Kate finally asked, "So, what are you?"

He shrugged. "Tyler, Caleb, Reid and I are a Covenant. We're Brothers, though not by blood. We have powers and ascend, which is becoming stronger once we turn eighteen. The power is highly addicting though, so our fathers have all died at a young age or became old-looking, though they're in their forties or fifties."

Pouge thought that made enough sense, and didn't really want to go into more detail at this moment. Kate was silent for a longer amount of time than he thought she was going to be. He became slightly worried that she was going to freak out once it all sunk in and act harshly towards him. _No, that won't happen. She knows I care for her, and I trust that she won't do anything stupid._

Finally, "So...you have powers?"

"Yeah." _Where is she going with this?_

"Who else knows?"

"Sarah. We're not very trusting about who knows about us, in case someone like Tyler's mom finds out. Someone could blackmail us, or sell us to the government for money and experimental purposes. We're a little afraid that's what Tyler's mom is going to do if his dad leaves her."

"That's not very nice to say about someone."

"It doesn't have to be nice to be true. We've been Using off and on the past three years, more on than off, and I trust you enough to tell you what I am. I was waiting though for a more perfect opportunity, but I guess tonight had to work."

Kate nodded, but had a small smile on her face. She spoke again, sooner than Pouge expected. "Okay, I'm glad that you finally told me. I feel respected, I guess, and the fact that you can trust me means a lot. You don't have to worry, I won't sell you out. I'm not like that, and I hopefully never will become like that."

He chanced a look at her after seeing the lights of the dorms ahead of them. She was looking at him, smiling, an innocent and trusting look in her eyes and spreading down onto her face. "Thank you," he said, Kate leaning in and kissing him.

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K...I'm not about to be yelled at, am I??? I really, really, dont mean anything offensive... I swear. It just helps with the plot and stuff. He becomes kinda an important person...weeeellllll...meh, ish? You'll see. Well. Here's chapter 13 and i hope you enjoyed it. One of my more favorite Pouge chapters, for sure. And yeah, Reid's an asshole drunk. XD hehe. Well. Ummm... Thanks for all of you who are reading this and are enjoying it!!! It really makes me glad to see all of the reviews i'm recieving, and i have a lot of fun replying. I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible, and it's a Reid chapter. Very...yeah, poor, poor Reid... umm...you''ll see. The abuse never ends...and y'all probly want to read it really bad right now...hehe? yeah. So. Try to get the next chapter up asap, no promises, thanks to all who read and review!! 


	14. Memories vs Nightmares

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Reid felt the power embrace him as he blasted Dustin back. Surprised, as well as drunk, he released it, a darkness descending on him.

He next woke up as two people were holding him up, no ground around or underneath him that he could tell. _What...what's going on? _As soon as he tried to open his eyes though, the dark consumed him once more.

He felt someone setting him into something. He wanted to fight it, he didn't want to be put in a...a box. _No, he's back. Go, go, go...away. Please._

He couldn't move though. His body wouldn't listen to him, but whatever he was in began moving, the steady drift putting him back to sleep.

He felt the darkness stirring around him, a cold breeze running along his skin. Reid shivered, sitting/collapsing onto the ground, bringing his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. He wasn't going to go to the nightmare, it could come to him. The darkness faded, becoming grayer. He felt himself leaning against something, which caused him to turn around and look. He saw a tombstone, Reid scrambling up, breath increasing. Sweat now beading on his forehead, he looked around and saw he was in a graveyard with fog rolling around his feet. The sky was dark with purple in the distance, the uneven and bumpy ground meeting the horizon.

Reid turned in a circle, then saw Chase standing right in front of him. Reid jumped back, heart beating madly in his chest while the other teen just stood there, smiling gently. Reid didn't care though. At the moment he was celebrating mentally for not yelling out in surprise. Maybe he _was_ returning to normal.

"Oh, sorry Reid. Did I scare you? But, wait, that doesn't make any sense. The big tough Reid is scared of just me? Maybe it's the surroundings that gave you the spooks. Or maybe you remembered of the last nightmare you had?" Chase smiled. "They're becoming worse, aren't they? Are you going to survive much longer? In my opinion, no. I think they're going to drive you into insanity or death, and I think you have plenty of reasons to choose the death route."

Reid looked at Chase, calming down. Nothing was going that bad...at the moment. "I'm not going to kill myself over the nightmares. It's other things that might cause it."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"None of your damn business, so back off." Reid managed to sound like his old, defiant self. He even crossed his arms, backing up the stubbornness. The one thing he definitely had to work on now was calling his power...

Chase began to laugh. "Oh you little insubordinate thing. You really make me laugh." Chase looked down, shaking his head in what seemed disappointment. "I really don't care about your little stories. I just want you to know that you have possibly a week more to suffer with the nightmares. Tyler, Caleb, and Pouge as well. You're the most effected by them, so I'll probably see you the more often than the other guys."

Chase turned around, beginning to walk away. After a couple of steps though, he turned back around, holding a stack of papers. "I just remembered. You may want to look at these." At the top of the pile, Reid could see the word _MISSING. _The picture was of a girl, possibly thirteen or fourteen. "I have a lot of them here, so enjoy flipping through."

Chase slowly brushed a hand over the top paper, all soon flying towards Reid and wrapping around him quickly. Soon he lost his balance and fell back onto the grave he had been sitting on. The ground began to shift and suck him in, as he finally found his voice and yelled out. Even through the shifting and sucking dirt, the papers continued to wrap around him, Chase smiling down at him at the foot of the grave. He looked up, his voice rising as he read _Rest in Peace. Here lays Reid Joseph Garwin, excelling in life and always living to the fullest. _

His voice was cut off as the papers finally reached his head, covering his mouth and eyes, the ground swallowing him up. _The pressure...the pressure..._

_No, nothing more. No more._

He was thirteen again, about to begin one of his lessons with his uncle. Reid felt his uncle on top of him, the pressure and weight making breathing difficult. "Good morning Air. You're awake.

Reid made a whimpering sound, then bit his lip. He wanted to move, but he was stuck until his uncle slowly removed himself. As soon as Reid could though, he curled up and the power fired up, placing a protective barrier around him. Red knew he shouldn't be protecting himself with the power, or even holding it, otherwise he would get in trouble. A lot of trouble that hurt.

"I haven't done anything to you yet Air, so quit your whining."

Reid managed to bring the barrier down right as his uncle reached towards him, grabbing him by the back of the neck. "You better push your power down. Your eyes are black again."

Reid cried out and tried to push the power down and not accidentally Use. When he thought he had succeeded, he was mentally exhausted. He slowly opened his eyes, his uncle having a whisper of a smile across his face. "That's pretty good. A few more weeks with me and you'll learn beautifully."

Reid gave a short nod, saying, "Thank you sir," even though he thought, _I'm never going to learn all of this! I don't _want _to learn! Caleb and Pouge and Tyler can control their powers fine, so why do I have to do this?_

Reid felt his uncle's grip loosen and he braced himself. If he prepared himself for the fall, sometimes throw, then it didn't hurt as bad as compared to being completely surprised. When Reid felt himself hit the floor, he didn't completely fall over. He was surprised; he was never standing after his uncle dropped him, even if he braced himself. He looked at his uncle, then...a blur of colors...then black.

When he next awoke, he was aware of the roar of pain in his head and spreading down to his left shoulder. He hurt all over in general, but his head and shoulder hurt the most. He bit his lip, not wanting to cry out. The power came back once more, protecting him, heightening his senses... He felt gentle footsteps come his way and tensed. The figure—his uncle—crouched down he thought, and placed a hand on his good shoulder. Defensively, Reid shot a blast of power at his uncle, knowing he had hit his uncle square in the chest.

A moment of silence before... "So, you want to play this game, huh? I wanted to save this until you were really bad, but you just won't learn, will you?"

Reid was pulled up, his eyes opening, still embracing the power. He was too exhausted to Use again this soon, but he could probably do a little something if he had to. He was carried into his uncle's room and thrown onto the bed. "If you move, then you'll be in bigger trouble."

Reid nodded, still gripping the power. He watched his uncle move around the desk as he felt a migraine form the crash begin right behind his right eye. His uncle came back over, holding duct tape, rope, and a large bag.

"There's a good boy. Now, hold still."

Reid yelped and tried to escape, only was tackled by his uncle. He suddenly felt something...awkward...press against his bottom. "Get off, get off! What are you doing? Go away! I want to go home!"

His uncle's deep voice rang out as he laughed. "You're not going anywhere for at least another month. If you Use on me again, then I'll use you. You can feel it, can't you? I _desire _to chase you. The more you fight, struggle, Use, the more I want to return the favor...in a different, sexual way. Now, are you going to comply and listen to me?"

Reid nodded, terrified enough to simply drop the power. It faded, and his uncle chuckled before he taped the young blonde's mouth shut. Next were his wrists behind his back, and his ankles were taped as well. He was placed into the sack, which was too big for the boy, and thick enough so he couldn't see out of it. He knew the top was tied shut and that his uncle was grinning.

"I love it when you go along with me Air. I think... I love every part of you. Your mind, your attitude, your voice, your body... You'll grow to be important, even though I could easily take it all away."

Reid tried to curl up the best he could as he was lifted and thrown into a...something. It had to be close by, so...a closet? He heard his uncle say, "I'll come back for you in due time, before you die, so don't worry."

The baby teen heard a door slide shut, and he allowed himself to shake in fear, but didn't allow the tears to come. _No, no, I can't cry. It's what he wants. I can...I can do this. I don't know how, but I can._

He had only been there for a week, and already had taught himself how to quit crying when he was hurting. He had another month left, and little Reid prayed everything would get better.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid woke up, at first unrecognizing where he was. He jumped up, stumbling over shoes and running into something. He fell over, hitting something hard. He looked up and saw it was a closet. He gave a yell and moved away, then felt a hand placed on his shoulder, blue eyes staring at him. He yelled, desperate to get away from the man over him. "No, get away!" he yelled, afraid of what was going to happen.

A hand was placed over his mouth, and he was pushed onto the ground, the person getting on top of him to keep him from moving. Reid began to panic and squirmed as much as he could, trying to do anything he could to get away...if only he could Use... The power though wasn't coming to him at all. Reid felt tears begin to come out of his eyes and he grew desperate to make any noise to call for help. All he saw was the blue staring at him, confining his mind. He couldn't breathe, he was hurting all over, the man was going to use him for pleasure...

But, these eyes didn't hold pleasure, and not even amusement. They were worried, close to looking terrified. Reid blinked, trying to see everything that was above and around him. His mind finally accepted that he was in his dorm room, on the floor, and it was Tyler who was holding him down, trying to keep him quiet. He saw Tyler's worried face, the hand still clamped tight on Reid's mouth, while the other arm was holding both of Reid's awkwardly, yet firmly.

Reid finally relaxed, feeling quite embarrassed and stupid. His uncle was no where near him. Reid knew his uncle was back in hell, waiting for the next moment to rise and strike again. He felt Tyler slowly pull his hand away from the mouth and release his arms. Tyler got off of Reid, and sat next to the distressed teen. "Are you better now?"

Reid nodded, still out of it. He laid on the ground while Tyler sat next to him, staying silent while the lamp cast a soft glow around the room.

Finally, Tyler broke the silence. "So, who beat you?" Reid tensed, not looking at his friend. "You don't have to lie Reid. It was really obvious before, but I chose to ignore it. But I saw the bruises on you, the cuts on your arm, and why it hurts to move your shoulder. Now I understand the worst of your nightmares. I...I wish you trusted me enough to tell me sooner." A weak laugh. "I guess Pouge was right all along. And this must be awkward and nerve-racking as hell for you."

A strained "Yeah," managed to escape Reid.

"I don't understand though. Your family appears like the anti-abuse type people."

"It is. Or, the people you see."

"Ah, I see. A distant relative." Silence, then, "Reid, you need to talk to someone. You have no idea how livid I am at whoever did this to you. You probably don't want me to tell Caleb and Pouge, so I won't, but still... You need to let this out of your system before it drives you insane."

Reid gave a weak laugh, closing his eyes. "I'm already going insane, between the nightmares and the dreams with Chase. Please don't tell Caleb or Pouge...for the moment. I'll tell them...when I'm ready."

"What are you going to do about your shoulder?"

Reid shrugged. "It probably needs surgery. It doesn't hurt as bad as it did last week."

Reid opened his eyes just enough to see Tyler nod. "Yeah...so you probably won't be able to swim them... Coach is going to be pissed. But, you don't really use your shoulders in breaststroke, so you should be okay..."

"I swim freestyle as well, and you do to use your shoulders in breaststroke, though yes, not the parts that are usually injured. Still, it's going to be hard."

"Yeah...Oh, Coach is going to be pissed."

"Si-Ty, you're losing your grip."

Reid heard Tyler begin to laugh, soon calming down. "I haven't heard that for awhile. You gave me that name... Silent-Tyler... That was way back in the day when we were kids. I guess I am talking more than I usually do. I hope your nightmares will calm down after this discussion though..."

"Or they'll increase, which I'm betting on. You knowing though might help you wake me up faster."

"Hopefully."

Reid and Tyler stayed on the floor, Tyler finally helping Reid back into his bed and turning the light off. Reid fell asleep quickly, feeling heavy. All he wanted was the sleep that would take him away from everything.

XXX——X——XXX

The rest of the weekend passed by slowly, Reid spending more time awake luckily than asleep. He stayed locked up in his room, Tyler leaving him alone some of the time. Reid actually finished his homework, along with whatever he was behind on, and felt some sort of happiness. Come Sunday night the teen was exhausted from the sleep he had been avoiding and waking up before the dreams came to him.

He fell asleep quickly, and before he knew it the night had slipped away, and he felt someone nudging him, Reid refusing to wake up. His body felt heavy and his mind seemed far away. He managed a groan and to move away from the person who was bugging him. "Reid. We have to get up or we're going to be late. Come on."

"Dunwannamofe."

"Come on, you have to move. It's almost seven-thirty. If you don't get up now, you're going to be late."

Reid rolled over, trying to look at Tyler. He couldn't hold his eyes open though. "I...I seriously can't stay awake. Sleep..."

He felt Tyler's cool hand touch his forehead. "How much sleep did you get this weekend after Friday night?"

Reid was silent for a moment. "Probably three hours."

"Well, you feel okay... What if you have a nightmare? I won't be here to wake you up."

_Shit...I can't stay awake though. _"I'll take the risk."

Tyler ran a hand through Reid's hair. "I'll come check on you over lunch. It's what, in four hours? Hopefully nothing will happen."

"Just remember Murphy's Law."

"Everything that can go wrong will go wrong...I know I know."

Reid nodded, then slipped off into the darkness.

XXX——X——XXX

"What do you see yourself as?"

Reid felt tears streaming down his eyes as his uncle pressed his face into the mirror. "I don't know sir, I don't know!"

"Answer! Monster or human?"

"Monster! I'm a monster sir! I have poison blood that will kill me off! I can't escape it!"

His head was bashed into the mirror, shattering it, pieces sticking into the fourteen year-olds head. "You will never escape it. The sooner you die, the sooner you will rid yourself of the world. You will only cause trouble for you and your friends. I won't kill you, but I'll allow you to kill yourself. End it early before the power really takes control of you."

Reid looked up at the figure standing over him, his uncle holding a large piece of glass. "Remember, it's down the road and not across the street."

His uncle left, Reid blinking away the tears and blood. He gently took whatever shards he could feel out of his forehead, and turned his eyes back to the glass sitting in his hand. He looked at it, thinking. Would his life really be that bad? His father was still alive, but he had never gone into a great deal about his past.

_Should...should I? I could leave all of this... But, what about my friends? There are only four of us. I don't know if I could leave them, though I really want to leave this. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of his bullshit and what he puts me through. _

Reid lifted the piece of glass and slowly slid down his arm. It barely hurt. He continued making the cuts, watching the dark crimson fluid slide out. It dripped onto his jeans, almost fascinated. He had never made himself bleed before, only others had in the fights, and his uncle. It was sort of strange feeling.

He just looked at it and realized he should wash the blood away. _Don't want to get in trouble for bleeding all over the place. _The cool water on the cut stung though. And, it wouldn't stop bleeding. Reid began to panic, and looked at the cuts. _Okay, so they were a little deep, but still! The blood should stop, shouldn't it?_

After some compression and a lot of bright red drops, the blood finally cleared up, Reid's entire arm numb from the cold water and pain. Now, he had to deal with all of the blood stains. He wrapped his arm up and looked at the blood inside of the sink and on the floor. _Shit... That's all going to take a while to clean up._

Reid looked at his arm, then at the rest of the blood. He grabbed a washcloth from a cabinet and began cleaning everything up, making sure to throw the washcloth away so he wouldn't get in trouble for ruining that. When he was done, he left the bathroom, his vision wavering slightly. He went out of the guest bedroom where he was staying and towards the kitchen since he could smell dinner. His uncle liked him to eat at the dinner table, unless he said or did otherwise.

His uncle looked up when Reid entered, smiling. He didn't say anything, and set the food on the table. Reid walked over, not saying anything as well. They were having pork chops, corn, and mashed potatoes. Reid's plate was already made, as well as his uncle's. Something seemed a little off.

They two sat down, Reid after his uncle, not eating until his uncle took a bite first. When Reid was halfway finished with his dinner, his uncle said, "So, did you think about what I said?"

"Yes sir."

"And?"

"There are a lot of reasons why I want to kill myself. I just don't know if any of them are a strong enough reason, sir."

His uncle nodded. "You're remembering the title. How nice. I'm glad you thought about it. It's interesting to see yourself bleed, isn't it?"

Reid nodded. "Yes sir."

Reid scooped up a spoonful of mashed potatoes, and then watched his uncle watching him. He slowly took the bite, and then noticed that his uncle was already done with his food. Reid hurried up and finished, knowing his uncle hated him taking to much time to eat. They cleared off the table, Reid afterwards being sent back to his room. He entered the guest room again, his vision wavering bad enough for Reid to almost fall down. He caught himself on the wall, but everything was tilted. _What...what's going on? _He tried to move, but fell over, landing on the floor hard. He couldn't breathe, and felt hot. He looked at his bed, unable to make it. His vision darkened, and he felt like he was going to throw up.

"Are you just now feeling the effects? That took longer than I expected. Well, you for sure will be in pain the next couple of hours, and I might come and teach you some lessons though you'll most likely be incoherent. It'll be like beating up a baby. Fun." Reid heard footsteps leading away, and was stuck where he was. He lost feeling in his entire body, and wondered why he wasn't dying faster. This slow crap sucked.

He thought he lost consciousness, but the pain was there. It raced through his mind, and travelled throughout his bones and muscles. He was burning inside, especially in his stomach. This was _not_ how he wanted to die. He want's even close to his desired age. Twenty-one, now that was more like it. He could whatever he wanted then...

He gave a weak cry, falling into a black hole. He was conscious, but numb, dying... He was dying. _I'm fading...it hurts, it hurts _so _bad. It won't go away. Please, please, make it go away. This isn't what I wanted._

Then, it disappeared. A sweetness flowed through him, pushing the pain away. He was alive. He didn't want to be, but he was. His breathing was easier, and he could move. _Did...did my power save me? _he wondered as he blinked his eyes, his vision slowly returning. He began moving, feeling like he was going to retch. He crawled over to the bathroom, untrusting himself to stand. He made it, soon throwing up, tasting blood with the sour after taste. He managed to stand up and wash his mouth out, and made it back to him bed before passing out again.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid managed to wake up, tears in his eyes. He gasped for breath, and he felt sore. _No, no, please, stop _everything. _Stop. I don't want anymore nightmares...I, I want sleep, good sleep. Everlasting sleep._

Reid stood up, vision sliding, still half asleep. He stumbled into the bathroom and opened the cabinet. _Make it stop, make it stop..._

He grabbed a bottle of cough medicine and pain killers. He opened both bottles, swallowing each quickly. He finished off both, dropping them on the ground as he felt his stomach tighten with pain. He gave a short yell and gripped the sink. He turned the cold water and tried scooping water into his mouth to try and get out the after taste. His hands shook, and there were no glasses around. He went back to the cupboard, looking inside, eyes beginning to blur. He saw a bottle of clear liquid and grabbed it. He managed to get the lid off and take a large swig.

He swallowed, the drink burning his mouth and throat. He dropped the drink, feeling even sicker. He felt the liquid spread across the floor, soaking his feet and pant legs. He reached into the cupboard again and found something else that was clear. He smelled it though and dropped it. He thought it was bleach.

He swayed, vision blackening. He fell, groaning as he hit the floor. His clothes became soaked with the two liquids and the smells made him want to retch. He faded, stomach burning. _What have I done? _He thought, suddenly scared. _No, this isn't what I wanted to happen. Ty...Tyler...where are you?_

Slowly he disappeared, the pain eating away at his body.

* * *

Hehe, yay, i'm finally updating!!! And this was basically pure all my fault. I could've updated sooner...but...yeah...kinda forgot. My bad. and the little plus signs dont work anymore!!! Idk why, but it makes me sad, so now i have to do the lame /\ things...dammit!!! Okay, well, here's more reid torture, and well, yea, more nightmares, though there won't really be a reid chapter for awhile. yeah...soo...yeah...i've been busy with school and working on the school newspaper...yay the sleep deprived and stressed writing the sleep deprived and stress stories!!!! haha. oh well, they're cool...so yeah. I'm getting SOOOOO close to 100 reviews...if you guys were awesome over the next to chapters to get me up to 100...hehe i might do something special... :P please?????? hehe. just a thought. oh well. ummm yeah, next chapter is Tyler, and thank you to all of you who review and are loving this story!!! Reading and replying is a lot of fun D and yeah, i love all of you. So...until next time...which hopefully is soon...hehe. 


	15. Secrets

* * *

a/n:: Just a heads up, a) i'm still alive b) this chapter is from Calebs pov, not Tylers (sorry i'm a liar) and c) further a/n later... :P

* * *

**-xxx15xxxx**

"Hey I gotta go," Tyler said after the end of their fourth period as the three were heading out to their usual lunch table. Caleb and Pouge looked back at Tyler, both confused.

"What do you mean?" Caleb asked, wondering if it had to do something with Reid.

"Reid's...not feeling that well. I told him I'd come wake him up again at lunch. I'll see you guys later."

Caleb watched Tyler jog off, then looked at Pouge. "No idea," the other teen muttered.

"Reid's been acting really strange since the party," Caleb noted, wondering what to think or say.

"Yeah. He kinda just stayed locked up in the room all weekend. Tyler said he was sleeping a lot..." Caleb nodded, Pouge remembering another little detail. "I just remembered. Did you see Reid Use on Dustin?"

Caleb nodded once more. "Dustin's still pissed. I don't blame him...much. I heard he wants to throw another party this weekend, out on Lain's Lake."

"I'm sure we're invited again," Pouge said sarcastically.

Caleb stayed mellow. "Actually...we are. Even Reid."

Pouge stopped walking, looking at Caleb. "Wait, what?"

Caleb shrugged. "I know. It's weird. But we're invited again, and this party is more for the Spring Bash. We have the party on Friday, and then we have the dance like what, next week? It's supposed to be a lot of fun, and he got permission from the cops so it's okay to throw the party. I don't know what he's planning, but I don't like it."

"Who told you all of this? It's only Monday."

"Sarah. She has him in her first hour class and he was passing the word. Not as desperate as before, but still craving attention. I don't think that Reid really helped at all with that. He pointed out all of the faults Dustin had. So, now he's probably going to get revenge on Reid, and they're both going to do something stupid. Awesome how predictable they are."

Pouge nodded, Caleb looking around the campus. He wondered how long Tyler would be gone. _Should be no more than a half hour. I've barely seen Reid at all this weekend and past week..._

"Ah, shit..." Pouge said, drawing Caleb out of his thoughts. Pouge sounded more random though than worried.

"What is it?"

"Swim practice begins tonight. I'm not ready."

"Are we ever ready? We have a meet though next week, so we have to go. And with no Reid or Tyler, we're in big trouble."

Pouge nodded. "Aaron's probably going to be swimming in our relay then."

"What fun. I guess we can try to not pound his head in until Ty and Reid get back."

Pouge made a sound, adding a shrug. They went over to their usual table, sitting in silence. Caleb saw Sarah sitting with her friends across the grounds and smiled. He didn't know where Kate went for lunch, but he wasn't that worried if Pouge wasn't.

As lunch was almost over, Caleb's phone rang, and saw it was Tyler. "Hey man," he answered. "You coming back?"

"Hey. And, uh, I, I can't. I have to—"

"Tyler, what happened? Don't you dare lie." There was no reply, and Caleb could feel Pouge's eyes on his side. "Tyler, what happened? Obviously it had something to do with Reid. Now spit it out and answer me. Pouge and I are your Brothers. We need to know what's going on."

Tyler took a moment longer to respond. When he finally spoke up, his voice was soft and thick. "Reid's in the hospital."

It was Caleb's turn to be silent. "What?"

"Reid...poisoned himself. I found empty bottles of cough syrup, pain medication, rubbing alcohol, and bleach. The doctors are sure he drank the cough syrup with the pain meds. They also said something about another one of the clear liquids eating away the lining of his stomach. I think they said it could've been the rubbing alcohol. The floor was soaked though. I threw a bunch of towels down, changed Reid's clothes, and got him to the hospital." A weak laugh. "My car can go really fast..."

"Back on subject Tyler. What else happened?"

"Not much else. They pumped his stomach right after I got there, and he's being watched right now. He's sort of in critical condition, but they think Reid will probably come out soon. They've given him a little bit of medicine to help him sleep, but with the bottle of meds that he swallowed in his system, they aren't going to try to throw morphine in as well or something. They say it can only make him sicker."

Caleb stayed silent, Pouge standing close, trying to hear all of what Tyler was saying. With a short breath, Caleb whispered out, "Why would he do that to himself?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you. I'm at the hospital right now and I won't be back the rest of the day. If you want to come over here anytime, you both are welcome."

"Thanks. We have swim practice later though, thanks to Pouge's memory, but we'll call you after school and after practice. That okay?"

Caleb mentally pictured Tyler nodding. "Yeah, it's fine. If he wakes up, I'll give you a call or text or something. I'll talk to you guys later then, I guess."

"Okay. Don't get too stressed though. He'll make it. Reid would be embarrassed to go out this way. You know that. He'll make it through."

"Hope so."

Caleb hung up, sighing, and put his head into his hands, placing his upper body weight onto the table. Before Pouge asked for the full details, he said, "Reid's in the hospital. He basically tried to poison himself. The doctors can't really give him any pain medication but they have him under sleeping meds. I guess he's under a careful watch, and Tyler thinks he's going to come out of critical condition soon. God, he better pull through..."

"Fucker," Pouge muttered. "He needs to fricken open up and let us into his life."

"Oh, we're in his life; he knows and is grateful that we're always with him." Caleb began speaking randomly, trying to organize his thoughts. "I think Tyler knows...well, I'm positive Tyler knows... I think I can figure it out...but...it doesn't make any sense." Caleb looked directly at Pouge, pausing his thoughts. "Is it possible that Reid was ever abused?"

Pouge shrugged, looking away. He thought for a little bit before answering. "When Tyler was in the hospital, I asked him, well, sort of, if Reid had ever been abused. Tyler said he couldn't be, since he doesn't have that type of parents that would do that sort of thing to him."

"Could it be some sort of relative?"

Pouge shrugged again. "I have no idea. It could, I suppose, but he's never mentioned any family as far as I know. If he does have any, it'd have to be on his mom's side. I'm pretty sure his father doesn't have any siblings like us. And you should know all of this already..."

Caleb sighed. "Yeah, I do know, but I was hoping that there was some little detail that I didn't know of. I wish he'd just say something, and clue us in. I don't even know if _Tyler _knows everything about what's going on, but if Reid made him promise to not say anything, Tyler isn't going to say anything. That's just how he is... Dammit that trust is his big thing, but that's how he's always been."

Pouge sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know... This is going to be fricken long ass day."

XXX——X——XXX

Caleb and Pouge drove to the hospital as soon as they were out of swim practice. They still had their suits on, but with their black warm-ups thrown over, it wasn't as bad. With one look, it was obvious he had come from swim practice. Most people understood.

Caleb looked in his review mirror and saw Pouge close behind. Caleb thought back to practice and sighed. Their coach _had not_ been happy that Reid and Tyler couldn't swim. Angry enough that he made them do 6x400 IMs on 6 minutes, then 9x200 IMs order on 2:40, 1000 choice, 1000 kick with no board, and 1000 pull for the main set without much rest in between each one. The team wasn't very happy at the end of practice. Everyone was tired and worn out, as well as very snappy at each other.

Luckily, sort of, Reid and Tyler were replaceable. Aaron could take Tyler's backstroke position, and Asian Dustin that Reid loved oh so much happened to be a breaststroker, and an amazing one at that. Oh how Reid and Tyler were going to be pissed.

When he called Tyler to let them know they were coming, Tyler sounded glad, even though he said that Reid hadn't really woken up. There had been a moment where he had technically moved, muttered something and shown life, but he slipped back into unconsciousness right afterwards.

Caleb pulled into the hospital, Pouge parking his car next to Caleb's and got out. They walked up to the hospital, seeing Tyler near the doorway. In silence, they all went towards Reid's room, which was on the second floor. "No change?" Pouge asked, breaking the silence for the moment.

"No change. Well, none that makes a difference anyway."

Caleb and Pouge nodded, Tyler stopping in front of a door. Caleb looked through the window in the door, seeing Reid asleep on a bed, a machine monitoring his heartbeats and a breathing tube in his nose. He looked so innocent and fragile that Caleb wondered how he could deal with this much crap and still play the tough guy. He moved away, suddenly depressed. Pouge took his turn to look in the window, Caleb heading to a chair across the hall and sitting down. "He looks so damn...fragile. Like a little kid again," Caleb commented as he sat down.

Tyler and Pouge followed suit, Tyler saying, "Yeah, that's kind of what I thought when I found him."

"So, _why_ did he do this to himself?" Pouge asked, looking slightly accusative at Tyler.

Tyler shrugged. "Don't look at me. I'm not quite sure, I can't imagine why he's try to kill himself like _this..._"

The three sat in silence, Caleb contemplating on how to get Tyler to tell him what was going on. Caleb heard footsteps coming down the hall and saw a man in a light blue lab coat with dark blue pants. He was walking towards the teenage boys, Tyler standing up. Caleb and Pouge followed, the doctor coming closer and shaking hands with Tyler. "Good evening, Doctor McKoy."

"Good evening Mr. Sims. Are you still waiting for Mr. Garwin to wake?"

Tyler nodded, then looked at his friends. "Yes, we all are. These are my friends, Caleb Danvers and Pouge Perry."

Doctor McKoy nodded. "I can see why, and how. Hopefully he will awake soon so we will be able to see how his body is doing with the different drugs in his system. We should be able to give him some medicine here shortly. Why don't the three of you head on back to the dorms? It's been a long day, especially for you, Tyler, and we will let you know if anything changes." Tyler nodded, Dr. Mckoy continuing. "And we're going to have to call his parents. They're the ones who are going to pay for this, and I'd be upset if my son didn't tell me he had been in the hospital. Maybe they can explain why Mr. Garwin is injured. He has many cuts and bruises that are healing very nicely, but both of his shoulders are injured, especially his left, though the right isn't far behind."

Caleb looked at Tyler, and saw him shift his weight. _What's going on Tyler? Reid? Open up, for the sake of your Brothers. _Tyler took in a breath, saying, "Yeah, Reid didn't tell me about those until last night. Even then, I have no idea what caused them."

Caleb continued to watch Tyler, watching how he was slowly becoming nervous. Tyler's hand was spinning the corner of his shirt up, then smooth it, his other hand in his back pocket. His breathing for the most part was smooth and normal, but he was beginning to tap his foot on the ground. They were all little things that someone might not see, but Caleb was good at spotting all of his friends little habits. _Tyler, you aren't very good under pressure...no offense..._

Dr. McKoy nodded. "Okay. Well, head on back to the dorms. We'll give you a call if his status changes. Would you like to call his parents, or myself?"

Tyler shrugged, Caleb noticing Tyler begin to calm down. "I'll call them. I can probably explain it better, or, well, you know." Tyler's face turned a little red, though the doctor nodded. "They'll probably call you afterwards though, and then you can go into the details about his status and stuff. I'll let them know they can come in tomorrow. Is that alright?"

"Yes, tomorrow is fine. If he wakes up soon and we can treat him, he'll most likely be out of here Thursday or Friday. Even once he's out of here, he's going to need more bed rest and healthy foods."

The three nodded, Tyler saying "Thank you" once more before they all left. As they walked out the doors towards their cars, everyone was silent. Pouge sighed, breaking the silence and saying, "So, Tyler, how long have you known about this?" Caleb noticed how Pouge used his calm I'm-not-in-the-mood-to-deal-with-any-shit voice.

Tyler didn't respond right away. "Umm...I didn't know about his injuries until after the party at Dustin's place, and then I saw the worst of them this morning. Honest."

_That's a good answer, or at least the best we're going to get on this subject. I know he won't answer straight unless we ask a very straight forward question._ "Do you know who beat Reid?" Caleb asked, giving it a shot.

"No idea. He wouldn't say." They reached Tyler's Corvette first, Pouge running a hand down the back of the car. Caleb had to agree it was a beautiful car, and that Tyler had made a good choice. "Well, I have to go. I'm going to head back to the dorms and call Reid's parents. They really should know about this... I really don't want to answer any questions though..."

Caleb and Pouge nodded, heading towards their cars. Tyler drove off as Caleb reached his Mustang and Pouge his R8, the two soon driving off as well. Once on his own, Caleb let his music blare and his thoughts drift. _Tyler knows things that he's not telling us... But, I think we're all hiding something. I haven't told the guys about the Darkling's I've seen. I think Tyler has said a little something about nightmares... I haven't said anything though. And why? Why haven't I told the guys what I'm seeing? Am I afraid that Chase is really coming back and he's a hell of a lot stronger than before? Tyler's birthday though is on Saturday. We'll have three ascents against one, and then Reid. He's strong right now, and will be stronger once he ascends. Will he make it that far though? At the looks of it, he and death are playing poker and Reid's running out of chips..._

The trip back to the dorms didn't take that long, and Caleb saw some of the students walking around outside, most likely finishing up dinner. The only thing Caleb wanted to do was change into pajamas after taking a long, hot shower. And getting some food as well.

Pouge pulled up beside him, and once he was out of his car, Caleb said "Hey, I'm going to take a hot shower and get into my pajamas, food entering its way into the plan somewhere. Are you going to see Kate tonight?"

Pouge shook his head. "No. I'm surprised you're not going to see Sarah. What's up?"

Caleb shrugged, unknowing how to really word it. "She's been kinda stressed lately, and focus right now is all on her homework. If I go see her she'll either have a breakdown or ignore me. So, I won't hang out with her until Wednesday probably. This weekend I'll use the party as a form of relax for her."

Pouge nodded and they headed towards the kitchen to grab some food.

XXX——X——XXX

Caleb laid on his bed, listening to the soft snores of his Brother. Caleb had the covers pulled waist high and his arms were folded behind his head. He watched the moon play in between the blinds and onto the ceiling, creating figures that varied to his imagination.

He thought he was drifting to sleep, but it was light, and when he next opened his eyes, he was still in a dark room that slowly became lighter. The walls became white, and the smell of medicine and bleach met his nose. He looked around, confused at what was going on. He looked around, thinking he was in a hospital. He looked at the room he was standing in front of and thought it looked familiar. He went to touch the handle of the door, but it swung open. He could see Reid lying in a bed, blonde hair plastered to his white skin, sweat drops visible. His breath was rigid and fast, his eyes darting underneath his eyelids. Caleb walked over to get a better image and guessed that Reid was dreaming.

"Kinda sad, isn't it?" someone asked from beside Caleb, Caleb jumping to the side. He looked over and saw Chase, who gave a small frown. "He's so easy to torment. It's like pestering a toddler. They can only stand it for so long before they break down completely and do whatever to make it all go away."

Caleb stared at the equally powerful eighteen year old and kept his ground. _The most he can do is piss me off. Nothing else. I can hurt him as much as he hurts me. _"What's your point Chase?"

"Nothing really. I'm just telling you that. He'll be out of the hospital soon. I'll let his nightmares cease to exist until he returns to the dorms. He might be in a good mood that day even." Caleb looked back to Chase, who just stood there, watching Reid with arms crossed over his dark green polo shirt. "While you're here though, would you like to know what Reid often goes through?"

Without waiting for any response, Chase raised his right hand, seeming to almost gesture towards Reid. Reid's eyes fluttered open and shut as he began to shake. Without thinking Caleb went over to Reid's side, worried. He looked at Chase who began laughing as Reid began to have spasms. Caleb looked back at Reid, seeing the boy's blue eyes flutter open and shut, finally opening wide enough and locking onto Caleb's. Reid's body calmed, and everything around Caleb paused. He was pulled into the blue, the white around him fading away and changing into darkness. When he opened his eyes next, he saw a mass of black...something's around him, before he realized they were Darklings. They varied in clothes and looks, and were in a close circle around him, terrifying Caleb.

Caleb gathered his thoughts together for the moment, trying to ignore the feeling of fear that was crawling up his spine, leaving a feeling of slime behind. _I've never been this afraid before. Is... Is this how Reid feels?_

One of the Darklings reached out and touched his face, Caleb letting out a slight yell and jumping back. He ran into the other Darklings who took advantage of the situation and grabbed him. Caleb tried to call his power up, but fear flooded his mind. _This, this isn't me. I'm calmer... I've never been this afraid, ever. _Caleb tried to ignore the cold hands that were trying to grasp his arms, and calmed down his emotions the best he could. He searched through his mind, finding the door that held his power. The touch of the cold, dead bodies though kept him from reaching the door. _I'm not going to let them get to me, they can't hurt me..._ Caleb jumped at the door, trying to forget about the Darklings long enough to get the door open. Finally...

He wrenched the door open and grabbed at the light, pulling it towards him. _Yes. _He felt the power rush through him like an electric current, just as he felt the Darklings fully attack him. He felt the rotting teeth tearing into his flesh, the overgrown nails scratching into his clothes, and unbelievable strength punching and kicking anywhere it could. He was held tight, the sudden beating almost causing him to lose hold of the power. He yelled and let loose everyhing that he had been holding back.

He saw a wave of his power surround him and the bodies of the Darklings fly backwards. A quick glance around told him that most of the bodies had either been cut in half, mutilated, or greatly injured. The Darklings that were still mobile stood back up, Caleb taking the moment to stand back up and analyze a quick plan to get out. The bodies walked closer, Caleb taking his power and shooting them all down. He jumped into the air, floating above all of the surrounding bodies. He flew over the Darklings, looking for a way out while managing to ignore the pain and fear that was clawing at his bodies as bad as the dead creatures were.

"We can't have you doing that," Chase said, appearing next to Caleb. "How can you learn of the fear your friend feels if you keep overcoming it?"

"Because I'm stronger than him," Caleb said, sending a blast of power towards Chase, the older teen disappearing.

Caleb next felt a falling sense, and landed among the Darklings around him. He looked up when he could and saw Chase floating and smiling. "Nice try. I'll let you out of here sometime soon. You really just need to experience what this kid is feeling. It's amazing how much fear he had boarded up. Very euphoric."

Caleb's vision dimmed black, and all he felt was pain. He realized soon that the pain was coming from how afraid he was. His fear of the Darklings rose, and shot up even more when one touched him. He was becoming more claustrophobic and the darkness and temporary immobilizing spell that Chase had placed him under wasn't helping. _This isn't me, this isn't me... I'm calmer than this... No. _"Get away!" he yelled, releasing the power he had found and grabbed a hold of.

The cold hands gripped him everywhere they could and ripped his clothes off, ripping apart his body at every little piece they could reach...

XXX——X——XXX

Caleb woke up, panting, sweat rolling down his cold body. He gasped for air, his breath uneven. He heard Pouge wake up from the next bed, asking, "Caleb? What's wrong? You okay?"

"Ye-yeah. Just a nightmare. I'll be fine."

Caleb flinched and covered his eyes as Pouge made an idiot move by flipping on a bedside lamp. "You sure? You like shit."

Caleb smirked. "Great, thanks. I'm okay, I swear."

Caleb looked over at Pouge, seeing the slightly younger teen looking at him. "You don't have to lie," Pouge simply said. "Reid does it enough for all of us."

"Lay off of Reid for a little bit. And I'm not lying. I had a simple nightmare. We all do, and we're all fine afterwards." Caleb couldn't believe what he just said. _That's not like me..._ _I'm the leader. I'm supposed to be upfront and honest._

Pouge just shook his head. "Sorry. You don't have to bite my head off. I'm only trying to help you out."

"You'll first help by turning off the damn light. And I'm sorry. I'm just a little out of it from that nightmare. Thanks for your concern, but it's two in the morning, and we have to deal with school and swimming tomorrow."

Pouge grumbled something before saying "night" and flipping off the lamp.

Caleb laid back down, wondering what was going on between everyone in the group.

* * *

a/n part two i spose:: ...welll...ummm...yeah. i'm alive and doing well i suppose... Sorry it took forever to update...i swear the chapter was written, it's just that with swimming, school, friends, homework, parents, and other stuff, i'm like never home and on the computer. It's kinda sad, really... But, i'm updating, and i really hope you guys forgive me for not updating in like, a month. I'm really really REALLY sorry, and if you yell at me in any reviews for being a slacker...i understand. Well, here's chapter 15 and sorry i lied about it being Tyler...i looked at the first line and thought it was Tyler, but no, it was Caleb...the next chapter is Reid, and then the next one after that is Tyler. And hey, if I get 100 reviews this chapter, i swear i'll update as soon as i see that 100...oh shit...i better get typing then... so i may be updating again tomorrow??? hehe, as soon as i get 100 i promise to update, and hey, it's a Reid chapter, so it's bound to be good since that's why you're all reading this story in the first place...hehehehehe. Well. Umm...yeah. Sorry. I love all of you who reviewed in the last chapter (10!!!! nice!!!) and i hope y'all review again :D i'll reply like always and i hope you enjoy this chapter!!!!


	16. All Over

**xxxx16xxxx**

Reid was released on Thursday, the doctor's giving his parents strict instructions for therapy, or even surgery for his shoulders. His excuse was barely acknowledged and accepted by the doctors and his parents. He claimed he had gotten into a fight, which was true, but the other healing marks on his body showed there was something more as well.

As Reid's parents drove him back to the dorms, his mom tried once again to convince him to go back home for a couple of days. "Reid, you tried to _kill _yourself. You are trying to get us to let you go back to the dorms like nothing is wrong. Why?" his mother asked.

"I've missed more than enough school and I feel fine."

"Reid, you're not even allowed to eat most foods! Yes, the doctor's were able to get the poisons out of your body and your powers are helping you heal, but you still need to be watched and cared for."

Reid wondered why his father hadn't said anything yet. "Well, I need to go back to the dorms and go to class. If you're not going to take me there, then I'll just do it myself."

Reid tried to use the bluff since he still couldn't call his powers. He thought he could feel them, but that could also be the remaining drugs in his system. His dad bought the bluff though. "Reid, I know you would do something stupid and rash like that. If you have any problems you better not land yourself back into the hospital. If you do, you better figure out how to get yourself out. We try to be good parents and allow you to have the fun and freedom you deserve. If you're going to speak to us like we don't matter, then we'll do the same to you."

"Joseph—"

"Meredith, don't start. I'm being honest and straight forward. Just take him back to the school. If he's going to lie and not tell us or even the doctors what really happened to him, I don't want to see him. If he's going to deal with the pain to hide his secrets, then let him."

Reid shook his head. _Apparently uncle warped dad's mind. Dad has _never_ spoken to me like that. He never cuts mom off. Dad doesn't think uncle did this to me, so apparently I'm emo and I like getting my ass kicked in fights to take all of the harsh pain of my life away. Huh... If you're going to think that dad, then you have another thing coming. You may think you know the shit that's going on, but you don't. You don't even come close._

The rest of the short ride was in silence, Reid wondering what was going on between him and his parents. His dad wasn't normally this bad, but how his voice sounded... Something was off. His mother still seemed like the caring lady, but she was a little _too_ caring. _Don't think on it. You're not going to see them for awhile, and they don't understand what's going on. Uncle probably convinced them of something about me._

Once back at the dorms, Reid went back up to his room and laid on his bed. He should've gone and taken a shower, but he just wanted to lie on his bed and relax. He hadn't had any nightmares while at the hospital, and he hoped they wouldn't come back anytime soon. He could feel his powers and maybe he could grab it...it'd be close...

Reid closed his eyes, reaching out for his power. He could feel the warmth of it, but he couldn't hold it. _Come on... Come on... I need it. I need to know what it feels like. I...I don't remember._

Reid tried to let the warmth embrace him, but he ended up falling asleep more peacefully than he had for awhile.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid was lying on the ground, rain washing over his body, rinsing away the blood. _Why am I bleeding? _He wondered dimly, next wondering, _or who's blood is this?_

He was afraid. He didn't know where the blood had come from, yet it covered the vast majority of him. He didn't want to open his eyes. If he ignored it, maybe it'd all go away. There was enough blood on him to be from more than one person. _What person, or people though? What happened? What are the details? Do I even want to know?_

The smell was getting to him. It was the sweet smell of human life coated with the bitterness of death. It was overpowering him, seeping into his essence and becoming a part of him. Reid opened his eyes slowly, everything blurry. The rain soaked into his eyes, not helping his vision at all. His clothes were drenched, a simple dark grey t-shirt now black, his jeans heavy.

He rubbed his eyes, the simple action not helping much. The area around him was grey, the land barren as far as he could tell. The sky was the rainy grey, close to black. No thunder rolled and no lightening cracked which he guessed was a good sign at least. He just had to figure out where he was and what had happened.

He stood up, weak, his clothes pulling him back onto the ground. He looked at his hands, squinting, seeing the blood covering him having a tint of black. He became dizzy, his vision sliding. He fell down, landing on his right side. He opened his eyes, but everything was growing dark. He could still smell the blood, feel the pain land on him, hear the echoing screams... _Wait, screams?_

He could hear them, the screams of everyone around him... He was hurting them all with a single touch, a simple directed look. The black on his hands, that was from his powers...

_How... How did this happen? _"No," he muttered, pushing himself off of the ground.

"No what, master Garwin?" a voice asked, Reid falling back down in surprise.

Reid opened his eyes, seeing a blurry figure in front of him. "Who are you?" he gasped out, dizzy once more.

"I suppose your little outburst of power partially blinded you. I'm your Brother, Reid. I'm hurt that you don't recognize my voice."

Reid focused on staying conscious. "Chase?" he managed to ask, feeling even weaker.

"Oh, good boy. Are you feeling okay? That was a nasty bit of power that you Used back there. The fact that you're still alive though you haven't ascended is amazing. You're going to be feeling the consequences for quite a long time though."

Reid tried to keep his breathing even, but it ended up more ragged and shallow. "What are you talking about?"

"Think Reid. I know you remember what happened. You just don't want to admit it. You killed off... I don't know how many people. Toasted them alive like marshmallows and made ashes of their bones. Are you proud of what you've done?"

Reid didn't know what Chase was talking about, but the memory hit him. He was in a field, unable to control his power. He didn't know how he had gotten there or what had happened; he only knew that his anger was consuming him. He doubled over, wanting to retch. His power filled him, Reid not even having to call it. He fought it as it joined his anger, consuming his body. He had to release it. The sweet ecstasy was to much. Reid opened his eyes and looked at his hands. They were glowing red and a black air was wrapping around them. He could still see the outline of his hands though, like he was looking at an inverted image.

Reid yelled again, more out of fear. His yells cut off though as he began to cough up blood. _I need to release all of this or it's going to kill me, and then let itself loose. _Reid tried to straighten but only fell onto his knees. He put his hands out in front of him and slammed them onto the ground, pushing all of his power into it. The ground shook under the power, but Reid could feel it spreading out as far as it needed to go. It just flowed and flowed, a running faucet unable to be turned off.

Reid could feel his body crumbling as the power ripped through him. His head felt like it was splitting open, he felt like his lungs were filling up with water, and his back felt like two-ton weights were pressing down. He knew there was nothing he could do though until the power was back to normal.

Screams echoed through his ears, causing Reid to cover them and wish everything would go away. But, he knew no one was there—that was why he had chosen the field. He felt some sort of liquid splatter across his skin, Reid forcing his eyes open to see what was happening. He shouldn't have felt anything, but he thought his heart jolted when he saw it was blood hitting him. He saw a black bubble-like substance spreading out around him, a black cloud extending out and sucking anything into it. Every person, animal, thing that the cloud touched seemed drawn to the bubble, bodies exploding and burning up as they crossed it, the remaining ashes scattering gently down.

Reid yelled in horror at what he was doing, causing an extra burst of power to expel. He saw and felt the black bubble suck in on itself and disappear, leaving the ground and air a murky grey. He fell onto the ground, passing out as the rain began to fall. The feeling of the power disappeared from his mind, along with the rest of his strength and energy.

"I suppose you wish you could die now," Chase said, pulling Reid from the memory. "I don't think I can imagine the pain you're in. Oh, wait, yes I can. I don't think I can imagine _feeling_ all of the pain you're in. You really created a mess."

Reid gave a weak cough, tasting blood. "Bastard," he forced out, voice barely recognizable.

"Oh, how mean of you. You shouldn't say things like that. You could get in trouble someday for having such a dirty mouth."

"I've already gotten into a lot of trouble," Reid wheezed out. "I can say whatever the hell I want."

Reid closed his eyes, coughing weakly once more. He couldn't breathe, but it was all fading away. He could handle that. It'd feel good to be taken away from all of this.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid felt sick. He woke up and rushed off of his bed. He fell onto the floor and scrambled to the bathroom before he could retch over everything. He made it just in time to the toilet and was able to take a couple of breaths before throwing up. It came out smoother than it should have and it tasted like blood. When he was done, he looked and saw the water stained red. He thought the doctor had told him to do something if he threw up blood, but he didn't remember what exactly.

He only felt sicker and the smell caused him to throw up once more, this time almost complete red. He waited a few seconds before flushing the toilet and standing up. He washed his mouth out and went back into the room, feeling even weaker now. He needed to call Tyler, but he didn't really want to. He wanted to take a shower and sleep, but the nightmares were back. They were going to hurt him and he wouldn't be able to find his powers again... _No_...

Reid sat on his bed and curled into a sitting ball. He positioned himself perfectly so he wouldn't fall and his already stressed muscles wouldn't give out on him anytime soon. He was sick of being scared and of all of his nightmares threatening to drive him insane. He was going to have to tell everything to someone if he wanted to get over anything, but who was he going to tell? He still didn't have enough courage to even go through everything in his own head. He knew enough though that this probably wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

_I have to take a shower... I haven't had a proper one for a couple of days..._ Reid stood up and went to his closet, grabbing a black long sleeve shirt and his black warm-ups. He grabbed everything else he needed and walked down the empty hall, remembering about the broken mirror. It had been replaced, but he still remembered vividly how it shattered when his fist made contact with it. It had seemed like the glass had purposely jumped off the wall and onto him.

He looked around and enjoyed the silence of the showers. Everyone was still in school, so he was going to be alone for awhile which was just how he wanted it. Reid stripped down, and for the first time in he didn't know how long actually look at how his body was healing. He looked at his reflection, bruises all gone, cuts just simple red lines, and a few scars that would disappear shortly. The scratches on his face were long gone, as well as any bumps and cuts hidden in his hair. On his back was only the faded X, all other whip marks, cuts, and bruises gone. The paddle marks on his legs were gone as well, though his muscles felt like they were still there.

Besides the whiteness of his skin from the lack of sun and food, he looked overall pretty good. He even managed to form a weak grin though it was nowhere close to meeting his depressed eyes. He was healing physically, now why not mentally? More questions he still didn't know the answer to. If his nightmares would only leave him alone, maybe he'd have a good chance of returning to normal.

He walked over to the showers and turned on the warm water, soon stepping under. He just let it rush over him, calming him down.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid was in a light sleep when Tyler got back from practice and heard him come in. "You reek of chlorine," Reid said, opening his eyes.

Tyler nodded. "Well, despite you actually sounding more normal, you look like shit, so I guess it evens out. How are you feeling?

Reid watched Tyler come over and sit down on his bed, then decided to respond. "Like shit."

"Figures. How did you convince your parents to let you come back here?"

Reid shrugged. "I don't know. It just worked."

Tyler nodded, standing back. "Well, since I was worried about how you were doing, I didn't take a shower at the pool. Since I see that you're still alive and well, I'm going to go take a shower. Coach somehow was able to still make me swim with this thing on." Tyler held up his wrist. "Doesn't care what the doctor says, just as long as my legs aren't broken as well, nothing's wrong with kicking what everyone else is swimming..."

Tyler trailed off, digging in the closet for something to wear. When he turned around, he said, "Oh, and since it's only your shoulders that are hurting, according to Coach the only way you're getting out of practice us if you're either on your deathbed or both your arms and legs are broken. So, tomorrow you better be at practice basically."

"I'm not going. If he makes me swim, I will be put on my deathbed. Coach can shove a kickboard up his ass, and whatever else will fit. I'll come back when I damn well please." _Hey, I'm sounding more normal... And apparently Tyler thinks so as well. _Reid smirked at Tyler's widening eyes.

"Well, I'm just the messenger. Since you seem to be feeling more normal, you feel free to tell him that yourself." Tyler gave a small smile and grabbed a towel, clothes and bath stuff, heading out of the room.

Reid laid back down, sighing. He missed the water. He loved swimming, but Coach Aaron could be a real prick sometimes...especially when he was pissed. Reid imagined the water around him and calmed down, even managing to fall asleep some. But...the nightmares... No. They weren't going to return for the night. He knew that.

Reid fought against the sleep and lost, unhearing Tyler return, sigh, leave for dinner, and return an hour later. Reid was out in a pure, dark, deep sleep.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid heard moaning, and thought it was himself. But after waking up some, the sound still continued to persist. Reid slowly moved and went over to Tyler's bed. The boy seemed to be in a deep sleep, but Reid tried to wake him up anyway. He put his hand on Tyler's shoulders and shook him, Tyler yelling, "Get your fucking hands off of me you dirty bastard!" before flinging his power at Reid, hitting the younger teen square in the chest.

Reid felt himself fly back from Tyler, and detach from everything as well. Only a blooming pain was attacking his chest, making itself known that he was still alive. Then, he passed out before he hit the wall across the room.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid struggled against the ropes that bound his wrists and ankles together, the tape on his mouth momentarily forgotten about. He tried to move his naked body away from the door, wishing he could hide. His uncle hadn't raped him yet, but had come close. Luckily a phone call had distracted him. The fifteen year old boy looked for any possible way out, but he knew the room to well to know it was pointless.

He heard the door open, his uncle returning. "Oh, Air, you tried to get away. You should know by now that basically anything you do deserves punishment. You are scum of the Earth. Your witch powers can't be taken from you, but I am going to make you wish they could be." As scared as he was, Reid relaxed a little, seeing amusement in the cool ice pits instead of pleasure.

Reid didn't know what to do with his naked body, but it didn't matter as his uncle grabbed his lower area once again, holding tight. "What form of punishment should you receive?"

Reid just shook his head, the tape on his mouth a minor problem. "You're too handsome to abuse anymore," his uncle continued, a slight chuckle issuing out of the mouth. "Just kidding. You look even better with a few bruises and marks. Your perfect skin is like a pure canvas waiting to be touched."

His uncle raised a hand, bringing it down full force onto Reid's cheek, the side of his head slamming hard onto the floor, Reid unable to feel the left side of his face as his vision went black. He was thankful a little though that his uncle didn't backhand him. Those hits were harder, and usually the ring his uncle wore left some sort of imprint.

Once Reid's vision cleared, he saw his uncle smirking at him. "I wish to hear your voice, my lovely Air." Reid cringed as his uncle pulled the tape off. Reid began squirming as his uncle picked him up, and was soon dropped onto the bed. His uncle climbed on as well, straddling Reid, his uncle's hands folded together for the moment. Reid just looked at his uncle, controlling his breath and power. Finally his uncle moved, shifting his weight and hands, one grabbing Reid's manhood while the other took off his belt. Reid struggled even more, trying to get away, his uncle only smiling. "I knew you were going to put up a fight. Excellent."

"Get your fucking hands off of me you dirty bastard!" Reid yelled, getting whipped across the mouth right afterwards.

"Watch your language Air. You're going to be punished for your words and tone."

He was whipped across the mouth again, Reid yelling out in pain as his lips and cheek went numb. The belt lashed as his face, sides and chest, his uncle grinning the entire time. When Reid was numb and bloody his uncle stopped, removing himself off of Reid. The teen could only feel the shift of the weight and the blood rushing back into his legs. He just laid there, unable to feel parts of his face, arms, and chest. He dimly wondered if his uncle had "accidentally" used the buckle on him as well.

Reid heard his uncle chuckle and thought a light kiss was placed on his swollen lips after the ropes on his wrists and ankles were removed. He heard his uncle leave afterwards, Reid trying to convince himself that he needed to move and clean all of the blood off of him. He figured the marks though would heal soon and wouldn't scar since he could Use on himself a little bit when it came to healing. He discovered though that his powers worked best for healing scars rather than having the cuts and bruises heal quickly. Pouge, he remembered, was good at healing injuries in general, and Tyler was about on the same level as Reid. Caleb, being the oldest, strongest, and the leader that he was, was good at everything. Well, Caleb could heal just about anything he wanted, but the time frame varied greatly. He could heal cuts in minutes, but bones still took him weeks to fix.

Reid slowly moved off of the bed and moved to the bathroom, crouching in case he fell down. Once he reached the white-tiled room, he grabbed the counter and stood up, ignoring his reflection in the mirror. He grabbed his ruined washcloth and focused on washing the visible blood off of himself. If he really had to, which he knew he did, he would then look at the mirror to see how badly damaged he was.

He gently wiped any of the blood that he could see on his chest and arms off and finally looked up and glancing at his face. He saw a lot of cuts and a welt that looked like the skin had been peeled away. He rinsed the washcloth out and then had it absorb some cold water before he gently placed it on his face, pressing down lightly. His breath caught as the pain burned down into his skin and muscles, but he grabbed onto it, allowing himself to momentarily forget about his uncle and what he was going through.

_It's never going to end, is it? _he wondered, removing the washcloth and rinsing it out once more. His face was red from the water and power already beginning to heal him. It would take days though for all of the cuts to heal, and with how his uncle kept on beating him it'd probably take weeks until he was normal again. _Maybe he knows that the more he beats me, the slower my healing powers work..._

Reid looked at himself again and decided that he looked a little bitter. He left the bathroom and looked at the clock next to his bed, deciding that it was late enough for him to go to sleep. Often times his uncle enjoyed beating Reid before the older man went to bed and right after he woke up.

Sighing, Reid put on his pajama bottoms and looked at himself carefully once more to see that no blood was loose. When satisfied that he wasn't going to get the annoying crimson stain on the bed, he crawled in, turned off the light, and feel asleep in seconds.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid woke up to a hand over his mouth, the other around his neck, grip tight. He panicked and tried to get the hands off of him, but as he reached for his neck, he realized that a hand wasn't there. He came back to reality a little more, realizing one hand was on his mouth, the other pressing down on his chest, trying to keep him from moving. He calmed down a little, pulling himself from the common memories of his uncle's hands on Reid's neck and mouth.

He finally opened his eyes, seeing Tyler's own alarmed eyes. "Are you okay?" the other teen asked, slowly removing his hands though staying close to Reid.

Reid nodded, whispering, "Sorry."

"It's okay. I was waiting for it, really."

Reid turned his head, embarrassment and guilt washing over him. "Was...was I loud?"

"Just a little. Was your nightmare about him?" Reid nodded, taking in a deep breath and trying to calm down. "I gave you the nightmare didn't I?"

Reid looked back at Tyler, but then remembered. Tyler had been dreaming, Used on Reid, and... "Wait, I'm on my bed."

Tyler nodded. "I woke up right after I Used on you. You hit that wall pretty hard, but I think I was able to take away most of the pain." Reid grimaced; whenever Tyler healed someone, he literally took their pain and placed it in himself. Whenever someone was hurt, Tyler often times wasn't allowed to heal the person unless no one else was able to.

"You didn't have to do that. I'm used to it all."

Tyler shrugged. "I know. I'm really sorry about that. Hopefully you're feeling a little better now."

Reid nodded, looking into Tyler's eyes. "What was your nightmare about? Chase?"

It was Tyler's turn to look away this time. "Yeah...nothing too big. I woke up pretty quickly."

Reid gave a slow nod, not believing it, but where was it his place to question Tyler's nightmares? The semi-older teen hadn't asked much about Reid's nightmares...but...it just wasn't right. "I suppose we better get back to sleep. School's in the morning..."

Tyler nodded, running a hand through Reid's hair before getting up and going back onto his own bed. Reid thought Tyler was waiting for him to fall asleep, but Reid ended up falling asleep after Tyler and when he could see the golden dawn peaking through the blinds.

* * *

:P hehehehehe okay, another update, though i did promise yesterday... I'm sorry i'm a liar, but hey, i still updated really fricken fast. Be grateful... K, so i was talking with one of my friends today and was sort of thinking about how soon i was going to end this, and idk, around 6 more chapters but that's a guess. I dont even have half of the next chapter writen out (it's a long one, with Tyler's POV) Or, i think it's a long one...dont know. It's not done yet. But yea, i'm going to start wrapping it up only cus the time has come and i end everything in my outline... Lame, but true. It'll be in the 20's though for sure when i end this...just dont know how high or low. :P well...yea. I hope you enjoy this chapter (yay reid torture!!!!) and _please _stay tuned for the next chapter. My goal is to update before a month...but yeah, no promises. We'll see how evil life is to me. I know the first week of March is going to be HELL and i'm not going to be home at all from monday-saturday...yay school...not. Okay. Thanks to all of you who reviewed the last chapter and got me to 100!!! YAY!!! Because of you, i'm updating, well...today. D don't you love that? Well, yeah, time for me to go, and i'll reply to any reviews!!! 

Oh, and the title of the chapter ranges greatly, which i feel is, idk, right. :P if you want to know what the range is or whatever, feel free to ask!!! ...I had a cooler way better name yesterday when i was editing this and i didn't write it down and i'm really pissed at myself for it. Hopefully 'All Over' does the chapter some good...


	17. Traitors

**-xxxx17xxx--**

Tyler walked with Caleb, Pouge, and Reid into the pool, the chlorine filling his lungs once more. He looked back at Reid, who looked like he wanted to be any other place but there. Tyler was sure that Reid was still pretty bruised up, but Reid was going to talk to their Coach to tell them he wasn't able to swim. 

Tyler walked into the locker room, going to his locker. He stripped off his uniform and grabbed his black and silver suit. Caleb was getting undressed as well, his suit black and red, Pouge's black and green, Reid's black and blue. They had all played "girls" and bought their suits together, but since each one was fifty dollars, they figured it was okay.

Tyler finished getting his suit on and tied it with a little difficulty, then decided he might as well pull on his drag suit. When both suits were on and comfortable, he saw Caleb and Pouge tying their drag suits, the rest of the team chatting amidst themselves, Dustin and Aaron in their own corner. Tyler didn't know if Reid knew that Dustin was on the team, as well as taken his spot in the breaststroke. 

Tyler, Caleb, and Pouge all looked at each other and walked out, Reid talking to their Coach still. They waited for the two to finish, since practice didn't start until their Coach's word, and their assistant coach was gone. Finally, the two broke apart, Reid looking relieved yet annoyed, their Coach irritated. 

"So?" Tyler asked, Caleb and Pouge curious as well.

"I'm out of practice for a week or two. He can't stand up to three doctor's notes, all saying I need to rest."

"So, what _is_ wrong with you exactly?" Pouge asked, Tyler looking between the two, wondering if and when he was going to have to jump in.

"To much shit to say."

_Not a Reid answer, _Tyler thought, looking back at the blonde boy.

"Sure Reid," Pouge said sarcastically. "If you don't watch how you're acting, you're going to lose everything. Just because you're a senior doesn't mean that you have the right to give up. You're just a quitter at life. You've given up on us. You won't even tell us what the hell happened to you. Yeah, we can guess, but that's for more of a private place, unless you feel like going public and telling us now." Pouge crossed his arms, anger etched deep into his face. Tyler was confused by Pouge's remarks, and he thought Caleb was as well.

_Pouge said that he thought he could see why Reid was acting...differently. Hell, he's the one that mentioned the abused idea, though it _was_ off of what I was saying. What's going on? _Tyler could almost see Caleb's mind working in the same fashion. He looked back at Reid, wondering if he was going to say anything. It looked like Reid wanted to say something, but was holding it back. He struggled mentally for a bit, finally his face going blank, the sorrow and anger that was crossing his face earlier hiding up in his eyes. His voice, once he spoke, was soft and almost monotone. 

"You don't know anything Pouge, so just shut the hell up," Reid began, Tyler thinking, _he does sound like he's given up on life. I hope not... _"But if I have given up, it's not for the reason's you've probably concocted or feel. It'll be the best if you just stayed away from me if you're pissed off. I haven't given up on you guys—" Tyler could've sworn a pleading tone had entered Reid's voice for that split second "—but maybe you're the one Pouge that's given up on everyone, especially me."

"And how do you think I've given up on everybody?"

Reid managed a shrug. "You're always angry at one of us, especially me, you always walk away when things get tough, you constantly keep an eye on Kate, and you are always trying to get me in trouble. Yeah, you seem like an amazing, ideal Brother."

Pouge stood there, arms crossed, glaring at Reid. Reid only blinked and turned towards Tyler. "I'll see you back at the dorms. Let me know when you guys are going to the party."

Tyler nodded and watched Reid turn around and leave, Tyler noticing the almost child-lost look on his face. Tyler wondered if Reid felt that everyone _had_ turned on him. Tyler turned as their Coach yelled at them to quit messing around and get in the water and swim or run five laps around the pool, thirty push-ups, and fifty crunches. Tyler sighed and grabbed his goggles and kickboard, heading over to lane six with Pouge and Caleb.

XXX——X——XXX

At the end of the practice, Tyler took a shower and drove back to the dorms before Caleb and Pouge. Pouge had been pissy the entire night, but he had kept his mouth shut which Tyler and Caleb had been thankful for. 

Tyler walked into the dorms, feeling a chill run down his spine. He quickly turned around, but he didn't see anyone or anything. Giving a slight shiver, he quickly went up to his and Reid's room. When he entered, he saw Reid laying down on his front and typing on his laptop, looking like he was actually doing homework since that was the only thing he ever used his computer for.

Reid looked up and pushed his laptop away, and laid his head on his arms. "You're doing your homework?" Tyler asked, slightly surprised.

"Yeah. I haven't given up..." Reid replied, sounding like a little kid that was lost and hurt, wishing for some care.

"I know. What Pouge said was just...uncalled for and mean. He was pissed through the entire practice, but that was more of a go figure."

"Is he still going to the party tonight?"

"Yeah. Kate's dragging him and he's not ditching her. I have a bad feeling about all of this though. It's too...I don't know...set up?"

Tyler quit leaning against the door and sat on his bed, pulling off his school shirt, seeing Reid shrug. "I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about everything."

Tyler nodded. "Yeah... Well, Caleb's going to come fetch us once Sarah and Kate come fetch the boys. Share a car again?"

Reid shrugged once more. "I don't know. What if I get pissed and want to leave early?"

Tyler gave Reid a smirk. "Then I'll come along. Trust me, we're all going to be looking for excuses to leave early."

Reid gave him a very tiny, brief smile and nod, before looking back at his homework.

XXX——X——XXX

Tyler drove down Lain Street, looking for the lake that the street was named after. He knew the road just ended and you were there, but the lights of the party would catch his attention first. Reid sat next to him, muscles tight and his skin pale. Tyler shifted into third, glad he had figured out rather quickly how to shift without his cast being a nuisance. "Calm down Reid, don't look so tense and scared," Tyler tried to say easily. 

"S-sorry. Just...something...it doesn't feel right."

Tyler chanced a glance at Reid and saw the boy stark white and tenser than he had originally caught out of the corner of his eye. Reid's white-knuckled grip on the door didn't help Tyler relax either. "Are you positive you should be here? You really don't look that well. Hell, you got out of the hospital yesterday. What was I thinking to allow you to come?"

Reid only shrugged, relaxing a hair and looking back out of the window. Tyler turned back to the road ahead, and thought of the chill he had felt earlier on his spine. It had been ominous, and that thought wasn't comforting at all.

The lights to the lake though met his vision finally, and he followed Caleb and Pouge's cars to three parking spots. Once out of the cars, music met their ears, Reid taking a step out of the car before falling onto the ground. Tyler rushed over to him first, being the quickest to notice. "Reid, Reid! What's wrong?" he asked, lifting the blonde off of the ground and supporting him by the shoulders. 

He looked into Reid's eyes and saw them unfocused, wide, and frightened. They were darting back and forth, his grip becoming tighter on Tyler's arms. "You, you have to f-feel it, t-the fucking dirt, it's black! It's all evil; the grass, water, air, it's fucking tainted! We, we have to get out. We have to go, it's...nothing is right, it's all wrong!"

Tyler looked into Reid's eyes, wishing he could figure out where Reid was getting his thoughts. He felt everyone looking down on him, but he didn't care. "Reid, look at me." Reid continued looking around, Tyler grabbing Reid's chin and trying to get the blue eyes to the brown. "Reid look at me," he repeated more fiercely, the blonde's eyes widening and locking on Tyler's, panicked. "Please Reid, calm down. I don't feel anything wrong, as well as everyone else. Calm down, please. You're imagining this. Possibly," Tyler added quietly, slowly loosening his grip on the boy.

"He's fucking crazy," Pouge said, breaking the silence and walking off, Kate looking uncertain before she followed as well.

"Sarah," Caleb said quietly, "Why don't you go with Kate and Pouge? I'll catch up in a minute."

Sarah nodded and left, Caleb squatting down next to Reid. "Reid, what are you seeing exactly?"

Reid just shook his head and tried to move away from Caleb, but was still held by Tyler. Caleb noticed the movement and looked at Tyler. Tyler just shook his head. He looked back at Reid, asking, "Reid, what are you seeing?"

Reid only shook his head, appearing to calm down a little. "Nothing. Its' gone. I just see you and Caleb."

Reid relaxed, Tyler positioning himself to hold all of Reid's body weight. Reid just laid in his arms, Tyler looking up at Caleb. "I think he responds to you better," Caleb said softly. "I'm going to find Pouge and the girls. Let me know if you're going to leave, okay?"

Tyler nodded, Caleb giving him an apologetic look before walking off. Tyler turned back to Reid, who was looking at Tyler, yet not really focusing. Reid finally turned his head, mumbling, "Mmm sorry."

Tyler shook his head. "It's okay, don't apologize. What happened though? Do you remember?"

Reid shook his head, attempting to look at Tyler. "Someone...not good... Something...bad."

Tyler could feel his heart begin to speed. "Does it have something to do with the party tonight?"

"I don't know...Just...bad."

Tyler nodded. "Okay. Do you want to go back to the dorms?"

Reid stirred, trying to move. "No. Must show Dustin...I'm better...Stronger."

Tyler gave a weak laugh. "Yeah Reid, you're fit to go party. As soon as you can stand up, we'll go."

Reid groaned and attempted to move. It took a couple of tries, but finally he was up with the support of Tyler. Tyler helped younger teen move across the grounds and towards the lake. Tyler followed the sound of the music, and as soon as he saw the shore and beach of the lake, Reid was mostly moving and balancing on his own. Tyler quickly looked around and saw Dustin near the bonfire, Caleb, Pouge, and the girls closer to the lake, talking. Tyler led Reid over to the group and saw Dustin approach them at the same time. Reid instantly looked defensive and annoyed, the guys saying a calm "hi," while the girls sounded more bouncy.

Dustin ignored Reid but smiled at everyone else, especially Kate. Tyler glanced at Pouge, but the other teen was either ignoring that special glance or didn't notice it. Tyler was betting on the first option.

"I'm glad you guys could make it!" Dustin said, looking like an eager puppy.

Caleb nodded, smiling. "Thanks for inviting us. You're lucky we're having nice weather like this. It's a start. Normally forecasts are threatening snow by now."

Dustin nodded, looking concerned. "Oh, right. Well, I didn't know that but I'm glad you said something. I guess we've all been lucky then, huh?"

Caleb gave a dry chuckle. "Yeah, we have been."

Dustin nodded, continuing to play the good host. "Well, there's a lot of food and drinks around. Enjoy!"

Everyone nodded, Dustin smiling and Tyler widening his eyes when he saw Dustin wink at Kate. As soon as the wannabe was out of earshot, Pouge turned to Kate, grabbing her shoulders, and making her look straight at him. "Kate, I want you to stay away from him. He's going to probably hit on you all night, and I don't trust his scummy ass. Promise me you'll stay away."

Kate looked a little lost. "Pouge, he's just a really nice guy, and I don't think he'd be stupid enough to try anything. I promise though that I won't do anything."

Tyler saw Kate give her boyfriend the smile he always fell for, including this time as well. "Thanks baby."

Tyler made an exasperated sound, but smirked at Pouge's glare. "Well, sorry, though I understand why you're worried. But, if you want to keep an eye on Dustin, he went that way." Tyler gestured off to his right, closer to the shore of the lake.

The rest of the night went smooth, or, smoother than Tyler had expected. Dustin had come over and made small talk with often, but kept it short. After about an hour the group began to get bored and planned on leaving sometime soon, until Kate disappeared. When Pouge noticed, Tyler saw the anger and worry enter his body, Tyler and Caleb not blaming him, Reid only looking more withdrawn than he had all night.

"I'm going to go find her, I can make it fast," Pouge said, panicking a little.

His eyes turned black before he closed them, Tyler feeling him Use, then open his eyes a few seconds later. Pouge looked down the shore and out to where the lights didn't reach. "Shit," Tyler whispered, Pouge taking off.

Caleb ran after Pouge, Tyler grabbing onto Reid and running after the two. Reid pulled his arm out of Tyler's grip and jogged on his own, Tyler speeding up to catch up to Caleb and Pouge. They finally stopped and Tyler looked at Pouge, seeing the most calm and murderous expression across his face. Tyler looked to where Pouge was glaring at, and couldn't make sense of it. Kate and Dustin were making out, Dustin becoming more personally acquainted with Kate then Tyler ever cared to see with his best friend's girlfriend.

Pouge raised his hands, forming a silver ball of power. He angled and threw it at Dustin, ripping the younger teen off of the girlfriend. Tyler saw Kate's eyes widen, and she looked like she was about to scream, but one look at Pouge's face seemed to put her into silence. 

"You get your filthy hands off of her," he said, rushing over to Dustin, Tyler debating whether or not he should restrain Pouge. If Tyler was in Pouge's position, he'd want to strangle the bastard just as much with no interference.

Caleb though jumped on Pouge, the second oldest throwing one more blast of power at Dustin, stronger this time. Dustin flew back and landed barely on the shore of the lake, Tyler realizing that Pouge was trying to get Dustin in the water.

Tyler saw Pouge take aim and he also jumped on his Brother's arm, angling the shot at the ground. Rocks, dirt, and sand flew up, landing on the three of them. Pouge, seeing he wasn't allowed to do much else, broke free of Caleb and Tyler and turned back to Kate. "I don't date whores," he told her, eyes back to normal, his voice deadly. Tyler would've preferred the black eyes though so no one would have to see the malice and hurt in them. Pouge stormed off, Kate beginning to cry.

Tyler looked at Reid, who just stood there, looking at his hands. Tyler went closer to him, quietly asking, "Hey, are you okay? You didn't move much back there."

Reid's features looked distracted as he said, "Bad... It's all wrong and bad. Everything."

Tyler looked over to see if Caleb had overheard, but he was with Kate, Sarah no where in sight. Now that he thought of it, an added fear seemed to be in the pit of his stomach that something _wasn't _right, despite what he wanted to believe. "Caleb," he called, the eldest looking up. "Feel. It's not right."

Caleb looked confused for a second, but it quickly passed to understanding, then into a worry. He helped Kate stand up and looking around asked, "Where's Sarah?"

Tyler looked around as well, asking, "Where's Dustin?"

"Shit," Caleb said automatically, running down to the shore of the beach, the other three right behind. They reached the spot, Tyler seeing the imprint of Dustin's body and a few steps before they disappeared into the dark. 

Tyler looked at Kate who was still crying, only silently now, and Reid, who looked borderline terrified. Caleb looked like he was struggling internally, mentally deciding something. Finally, he looked at Kate and said, "Go back to my car and hide in it. If anyone comes and bothers you, I want you to hit them the best you can and leave, okay?"

Kate nodded, Caleb taking out his keys and handing them to her. "It looks like the party hasn't noticed anything, which is always good. Try to calm down a little and get there as fast as you can. Lock the doors and do whatever you need to do."

She nodded again, hugged Caleb and ran off, Caleb sighing. Now it was the three of them. "Shall we go find the sorry bastard?" Caleb asked, eyes turning dark. Tyler nodded, unlocking his power as well and looked at Reid, whose eyes were wide.

"What is it?"

Reid pointed and answered, "Found them."

Tyler and Caleb turned where Reid was pointing, adrenaline flowing as they saw Dustin, Sarah, and Chase. They were standing on top of the lake a little ways away, out of the lights of the party. Anger joining his adrenaline, Tyler ran with Caleb down the shore of the lake, Reid soon catching up. Tyler's main worry was causing a scene and exposing them, but hopefully the music would cover up the worst of the fight and no one would notice that Dustin had gone missing. Once closer, he could see Sarah's terrified posture, Dustin's gloating smile, and Chase's malevolent smirk. 

"Why are you so surprised to see me Caleb?" Chase asked, Caleb glaring. "You knew I was coming back for a little while now. Do you not listen and trust your dreams then? You poor, deprived boy. But, I suppose Pouge is in the same boat as well. At least Tyler assumed I was coming back, and Reid knew. They never ignored the dreams."

Reid turned to Caleb, asking, "Wait, you had the dreams as well and didn't say anything?"

"What about you?"

"Tyler and I knew about the nightmares, and saw the Darklings. Are you too far above us to not say anything?" Reid asked harshly.

Tyler heard Chase chuckle and say, "Yes Reid, he is above you. He has always looked down on you, for various reasons you can probably guess."

"Don't listen to him Reid," Caleb said carefully.

"Why not Reid? Think about all of the fights you and him have gotten into. If you were true Brothers, he would have stuck up for you all of those times instead of making you the victim like Pouge did at the pool."

Tyler only looked at Reid, unknowing what to say. Reid was fuming, distrust shining strong in his eyes. "Reid, listen," Caleb said calmly. "Don't listen to him. I'm not the bastard that turned on us. I've always watched over you to make sure nothing ever happened to you."

Reid only glared at Caleb, calmly saying, "Well, you failed at that."

Confusion entered Caleb's eyes, Tyler saying, "Caleb, drop the family feud." He turned to Chase. "Give us Sarah."

Chase grinned. "I'd be happy to. Now that she is done playing hostage, I assume we can get rid of her."

Chase released his hold, Sarah seeming to wake up from her trance and beginning to scream as she fell through the water. Caleb threw a wave of power at her, stopping her fall though she was in the water up to her knees. "It's cold," she yelled over to the three. Caleb nodded and began bringing her closer, Chase deciding to interfere.

"Not so fast Caleb. You're not getting out of this so easily." 

Chase threw a blast of power at the connection Caleb had on Sarah, which seemed to break her line. Sarah screamed again before falling under, Caleb yelling. Tyler shifted his attention towards Dustin, who Chase had moved onto the beach in the few split seconds where the main focus had been on Sarah. 

Tyler turned towards Dustin, knowing Caleb could handle Chase for the time being. Dustin ran more towards Reid, saying, "Stay out of this Tyler. This is a fight between me and Reid. I need to pay him back and prove to Chase my worth."

Tyler didn't like the sound of Dustin's voice and stepped in front of Reid as he saw Caleb pulling Sarah out of the water, though Chase was trying to throw him in as well. Tyler looked at Dustin completely, saying, "No, it wouldn't be fair. I'm sure you have some trick up your sleeve you want to use."

Dustin held his arms wide, giving a deep bow. "I have nothing to hide besides skill, equality, and that I'm simply too stubborn to go without a fair rematch. The best fight doesn't count for me. I wish for this one to be without any interference," Dustin said, rising once more.

Tyler stayed where he was until he felt something hitting his side, pain blossoming, and then he was moving, but not...

Tyler opened his eyes, seeing the trees above him, stars barely out in the sky. He slowly sat up, cringing as he felt his bruised side. He didn't really know or remember what happened... Dustin was there, and then he was flying, and then nothing. He looked around, seeing Reid and Dustin fighting, sand shifting around their feet quickly with their movements, as well as caking their hair, the two apparently having wrestled a little. He looked at Caleb and Chase, who were both managing to stand on the water, Sarah unconscious and off to the side, a shield over her that Tyler hoped keep her warm and dry.

Tyler stood up, seeing Dustin punch Reid underneath the jaw, the blonde falling backwards, limp. Dustin began laughing and said, "Oh, you poor baby. Did I go a little too hard on you?"

He kicked Reid in the side, Tyler running up and filling himself with the power, shooting a short burst at Dustin, which hit him in the side and launched him away from Reid. Tyler went to the blonde, knowing he had to help Caleb. Quickly, Tyler put his hands over Reid's chest and healed him a little for the time being. Sooner than he expected he felt most of Reid's injuries, and took most of the pain into himself. He stood up after a few seconds, the dizziness passing before he ran out onto the lake, hoping Caleb could last a few more seconds. Reid needed the rest and he was on land, so Tyler wasn't too worried about him. Caleb was another story.

Tyler threw a ball of power at Chase as he used a piece of his power to strengthen the water underneath him, and saw Chase simply knock the ball away. Chase grabbed onto Caleb and threw him back, then used his powers to make Caleb crash into the water. Caleb didn't fall, though it looked close. Chase turned to Tyler, grinning. "So you finally woke up. Of course you weren't out for long, but it was long enough to make a difference."

He quickly threw another shot at Caleb, hitting him square in the chest. As Caleb flew back, Tyler sent a line of power at Chase, just as Caleb hit the water and sinking down a little bit. Chase turned just in time to grab Tyler's power and twist and break it, Tyler staring. How could Chase grab onto the line and have nothing happen?

Chase laughed at the open shock Tyler displayed. "Until you ascend, you are a puppy to me. Your bark is worse than your bite. You have no ferocity yet. Come back and play with the big dogs when you ascend."

To prove his point, he threw a wave of power at Tyler who tried to prepare for it, and attempted to try to counter it with his own wave. Tyler's power was overcome by Chase's, the force crashing and rolling over him, sending him back onto the land and filling his body up to the max with pain. The pain made him see red and convince himself molten iron was dripping on each of his nerves and coating them thickly. He thought he was yelling, but he couldn't feel anything around him.

Finally it began to fade off, like pouring warm water over him that slowly cooled. And, he could sense again. It wasn't very much, but he could hear some muffled sounds around him, feel the tingling through his nerves, tasted blood, and could faintly smell...grass? He wasn't willing to open his eyes, but his thoughts sort of changed when he registered voices. 

"Conscious yet?" a voice asked in Tyler's direction, causing him to stir. He didn't like how harsh it was.

Tyler could almost feel his brain catching up with reality, which he wasn't too fond of. He recognized Chase's voice, and that the numbness he felt was really the pain. He wanted to move and wake up, but the pain stiffened his muscles and clouded his thoughts. When he at least managed to open his eyes, he saw Chase and a blurry line of the night sky. Tyler shut his eyes, not wanting to move anymore.

"That's good, you're alive and awake. Sorry though, I'm going to put you back to sleep, though a combination of your power ad mine works quite nicely."

Tyler opened his eyes again, confused. He saw Chase place his hands together and smile, eyes black. He sent his power at Tyler, which looked like another wave, but smoother. It landed gently over Tyler's face, neck, and chest. His breath was cut off, and he thought his lungs were being crushed. He gathered whatever strength he could and struggled, trying to grab his power. 

"There's no chance," Chase said, his words fuzzy in Tyler's ears, "until you ascend. Against me a long, you don't stand a chance. Even if I didn't have my father's power, you'd still be weaker, though it'd be fairer."

Tyler saw the box where his powers were always placed, and went towards it, about to unlock the lid, only... He was so tired, he felt heavy... He didn't want to move anymore. He couldn't breathe, but it didn't hurt.

_No...I must get it out...I must. _Tyler attempted to move towards the black, red, and white patterned box, but all went black.

XXX——X——XXX

Next time that Tyler awoke, it was mentally before physically, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He didn't want to think about what had happened, what was _going _to happen, or even really about how his body would feel once it woke up as well.

_Can't all of this go away? Please? Can't we all go back to our original lives and wish none of this ever happened? I'm sick of pain, I'm sick of Chase, and I'm getting sick of just about everything else in life. Why can't it all end?_

Now that Tyler was beginning to become angry, his body had enough motivation to wake up. He didn't hurt as much as he thought he would, which was a start. He couldn't move a whole lot with his sore muscles, but he was okay with that until he figured out where he was.

Gently, or as slowly as he could, he opened his eyes, trying to figure out where he was. The room was lit but with what seemed to be light coming in from under the door, and there were random chains and saws around the room wherever the light hit. He felt rather than saw he was on a wooden chair, ankles tied to the front legs, his wrists tied behind the chair, and a rope around his middle and his mouth, cutting in painfully.

Tyler was content with not being able to move much. He hurt, and just let the pain simmer. If he didn't move, then it wouldn't get any worse. It was simple and worked that way in most things. Of course, when he saw the door open and Chase's silhouette enter through, he knew the pain was going to return quickly. 

"Oh, look, the traitor is awake. How helpful."

_Traitor?_

Chase walked closer, squatting down and looking his eye. The older teen's eyes turned black, Chase reaching and grabbing Tyler's neck roughly, Tyler moving away as he felt the other hand press itself down on his head and _sinking _through his skull onto his brain. Tyler made a strangled cry, twisting away, trying to get the hand out of his head. He was more focused on getting the mental hand off of his head than the real one and didn't feel the hand on his throat tighten.

"Uncomfortable, isn't it? Ever since my battle with Caleb and almost dying, I've learned a lot. If I didn't have my father's power, I _would_ have died that night. But, I'm so much stronger and smarter now than all of you, and I've been waiting more than I've wished for to show you what I've taught myself. The power is so strong and commanding, providing you learn how to Use correctly. Please, allow me to demonstrate."

Tyler managed a muffled yell as the hand gripped tighter on his mind. He leaned his head back, only thinking of the mental hand as he wished he could scrape it off on the back of the chair. He felt both hands on his head slide back and forth, petting his head. 

"Tyler," he distantly heard. He wanted to focus on the voice, but he couldn't. The hand on his brain was too irritating. You are going to do what I say. If you don't, I will hurt you until I hear what I want to hear. Even then, I probably won't stop until I'm convinced you won't back out on me. Of course, I can destroy your brain to where you are a mindless zombie, but then you'd just be useless to me."

Tyler shook his head, feeling the hands press down hard and begin to warm up.

"So," he next heard, "You are going to do what I ask without any objections, okay?" Tyler shook his head, now trembling. "It's a pity I can't project my hand anywhere else as effectively as your mind. Well...oh well."

Tyler's neck warmed up as well as the inside of his head, and felt the hand slowly lift off of his brain and back into the real hand on top of his head. Tyler shuddered, feeling the pain. He then felt the hands shoot a burst of heat around his neck and skull, meeting at the tip of his spine and spreading equally throughout his body. The heat pulsed, each time getting hotter.

Finally Tyler yelled, moving as much as he could to cool himself down. The hand slid back down onto his brain, resting as the heat pulsed through him calmly. 

"This is just one punishment for saying no. The question still stands. Will you do whatever I ask without any objections?"

Tyler shook his head. He didn't know how Chase thought of or even learned this kind of trick, and was almost scared of what else he could probably do. He felt the hand shift back up to the top of his skull, and with the hand on his throat, the two sent out a jolt of electricity, teaming with the heat and beating rhythmically through his body. Tyler shook each time the jolt hit his spine, pain flooding momentarily throughout his body before numbing, the process repeating over and over again.

He was losing function of his brain and body to the pain, and it was almost enough to make him answer yes. Anything to get away... But Tyler knew he wasn't weak. He could handle the small shock of a taser and a small touch of fire every other second...for a little bit, to the point of death.

"Still a no? Well, I must insist you answer yes. If you don't soon, I'm going to take drastic measures that could possibly kill you, though I'm sure you would love that. Now, once more, will you join me without any objections to whatever I make you do?"

Tyler shook his head in a jerky motion, breathing hard, losing consciousness. The next bout of punishment that came with Chase's "that's too bad" was hard to tell at first, though he figured it out quickly enough. His muscles cramped and relaxed to the pulses, Tyler yelling and struggling as much as he possibly could, wanting to get away. He knew Chase just sat there and watched, and Tyler wished he could answer yes to end the pain. He knew it wouldn't be the real him answering if he said yes. It would be some weak imposter, but each bit of fire, shock, and cramps were driving him insane and further from the control he was supposed to have over his body.

As Tyler thought his body was going into convulsions, he heard Chase ask, "So, as you may know, the pain can become a lot worse. Here's a sample." Tyler yelled as the pain instantly doubled, and felt consciousness slide away...until Chase placed the pain back to what it was originally, Tyler crying with relief. "So, unless you don't answer my question, you are going to be experiencing that. Are you going to join me and do whatever I say without any objections?"

The pain began to double, Tyler crying even harder. He wanted it all to stop. His mind was a mass of matter and raging emotions, thoughts, and what his body was experiencing only tore it apart even more. He wanted to go back to normal, wanted all of the pain to stop and the sweet bliss of peace to envelop him.

As the pain continued to spike he finally nodded, and thought he heard laughing. "Oh good. Now, to ensure your answer."

The pain spiked dramatically, Tyler yelling and moving as much as he could to die. He wanted to kill himself so badly, just to end it all. Sadly, he could only struggle against the bonds. He couldn't think and he began to quit breathing. It hurt too much. Even his tears hurt. 

Then it was gone.

The abruptness left him paralyzed as he distantly felt the ropes untied and his body fall onto the floor, heading into spasms. It almost felt like the chain to his body had been severed. All he knew is that he would do anything to not feel that pain again. 

"So Tyler, are you willing to follow next to me without any objections, to avoid feeling the pain?"

Tyler nodded the best he could, but wasn't sure how successful he was. He just hoped Chase knew he was nodding. 

"Oh, that's good to see. I know how to place all of that pain onto you automatically, but I thought I'd warm you up. If you disobey me at all, you'll receive that as punishment. Now, I have plans to make. I'll allow you a few hours to recover. You do turn eighteen tomorrow, and then everything will be perfect."

Tyler just stayed on the floor, twitching, unable to move or feel. He could think though, barely, and began to realize what he had just gotten himself, and more importantly, his friends into.

XXX——X——XXX

Tyler awoke to a kick in his stomach, knocking all of his air out. He was kicked a few more times before a voice told the person to stop. Tyler didn't want to open his eyes to see what was happening around him. He hurt all over, and didn't remember why. He didn't want to remember anything though. He felt a few tears slide down as a voice gently asked, "How are you?"

Tyler allowed a few tears to slip out. The voice seemed to take that as the response he wanted. "That's good. Some actions speak louder than words you know. Well, are you ready to do my little bidding, or deal with the pain again?"

"Bidding," Tyler whispered, the sound barely escaping his throat.

"That's good. Would you like to know the tasks you need to accomplish?" Tyler nodded, scared. "Perfect. Well, you are going to kill your Brothers, no matter, what, why, or how."

Tyler shook his head and felt a few more tears slip out. He didn't exactly know why. It was just a reaction.

"Do I need to give you another dose of pain?" the voice asked as he was kicked in the sternum, all air exiting and unable to reenter the teen. He just laid there, unable to breathe or feel, and crying. "What was that? I didn't catch it. Or, would you like to feel the pain again?"

Tyler shook his head, whispering, "No pain."

"So, will you kill your Brothers?" A short blast of the torture filled Tyler, causing him to straighten and roll over before it passed, the memory lingering. Tyler nodded, slowly, wishing all would end. It would, he figured, after these "Brothers" were put to an end...

"Good. Dustin, please continue to beat him to enforce the decision."

Tyler heard a "yes sir," before feeling a blow of kicks and whips, varying on the place. He was put into unconsciousness quickly enough, Tyler feeling like he had given up on everything and nothing would be okay ever again. He just wanted to die and disappear from this pain.

_I die when the Brother's die...I hope, _were the last thoughts that passed through his mind before the black abyss of what he had become consumed him. 

* * *

wow...intense. Just kidding... Enjoying this?? I hope so... Yay that chapter 17 is finally posted, and i'm really sorry it took a month to get out. I didn't even realize that!! I was really really busy with theatre and not getting home til 10 or so every night for two weeks, and then i had to work on my articles for the school newspaper, and i got home really late on those nights, and then this week was spring break and i was meaning to get this up by monday or tuesday, but having a license and a boyfriend is a little too distracting...but i posted this now, and thanks to Susangel for bugging me about this, as well as X fuji X. Seriously guys, (as long as you're nice about it...) get on my ass and tell me to update. It motivates me to step away from life and write, cus writing is good... hehe. Well, thanks all to you who are reading this and reviewing, and those who are just now reading and catching up... I love you all. I'm going to start working on the next chapter now, and it's Reid POV. So...any predictions on what's going to happen?? (i already have it lined out, so i'm able to answer any assumptions...hehehe.) hehe. Well...until next time!!


	18. Crawling Out of Hidden Spaces

**xxxxx18xxx-**

Reid felt something cold and wet placed on his forehead, and wanted to get it off. It wasn't really all that bad though, and it did help him cool down a little...

He faded out, still unaware of where he was. When he next came to, he decided to figure out where he was, as well as why he wasn't hurting as much as he should be. He opened his eyes, everything blurry before slowly going into focus. He was in a bed, the tan ceiling above him. He wasn't in a dorm, otherwise the bed would be smaller and the ceiling would be white. He slowly pushed himself up, a slightly damp washcloth falling off of his forehead and onto his lap. He thought he recognized the room as one of Caleb's, but why and how was he there?

He got out of the bed, weak, but able to move. As much as he didn't want to know what happened, he figured he needed to know, and went to find Caleb, who was one of the last people he wanted to talk to at the moment. As he made his way across the room, he noticed that he was wearing pajamas that weren't his. He opened the door and walked out, recognizing where he was in Caleb's mansion. He went down the hall and stairs, cautious. Reid decided out of all the people he didn't want to see at the moment, Caleb was one of them that also happened to be near the top of the list. He had a tendency of asking too many questions, and had a look in his eyes that Reid couldn't figure out. Reid made it to the base of the stairs before he saw Caleb, an unidentifiable emotion rising. He thought it was a mixture of jealousy, fear, and anger. Why those three, he didn't want to figure out at the moment.

Caleb gave a brief smile, saying, "Glad you're finally awake. We have a few hours before all hell breaks loose, and if you can't call your powers by then, we're not going to win."

Reid just looked at him. "What do you mean by 'win'?"

Caleb looked at Reid oddly, but he didn't know what Caleb was talking about. "You don't remember?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Remember what?"

Caleb shook his head. "Tell me what you remember and I'll fill you in."

Reid decided that there was no getting out of this by lying or hiding the facts. And he wanted to know what happened. "It's not much. I was just fighting with Dustin while you were with Chase and Tyler was knocked out. Then Dustin hit me and that's it."

Caleb nodded. "I hoped that you would remember more but that's okay." Caleb took a deep breath and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Pouge disappeared, Kate's not talking to anyone, Sarah's with her though she's not in the best of conditions herself, and Chase kidnapped Tyler."

Reid stared at Caleb, almost falling down if it wasn't for the railing supporting most of his weight. Reid just stared at him, unable to understand how all of this had happened in the short span of time after he passed out. "Shit," he finally said, his mind blank on anything they could do.

"Yeah, and Tyler ascends in about seven hours. I know Chase is going to only hurt Tyler, but I don't know how much or even why." Reid only nodded, sighing and sitting down as his body was ready to give out on him. "And," he heard Caleb say next, "we need your powers to be working. Can you tell me why you haven't been able to call them?"

Reid barely opened his eyes, hearing the gentleness of Caleb's voice. Caleb was squatting down, looking up at Reid. Reid shut his eyes, and ran his fingers through his hair, pressing his palms against his eyes as the week flashed by quickly, almost bringing tears to his eyes. He took a few calming breaths, preparing himself. He _really _didn't want to be doing this now or here. "I suppose I must, huh?" he asked, voice soft, the humor he tried to place in it only causing the words to sound strained. "I... It's going to be hard. Tyler doesn't even know everything."

"I'll save you some time," Caleb semi-interrupted, voice still soft and caring. "I know you were abused; we all figured it out. Can you tell me who?"

Reid took a deep breath in and tried to remain calm. Through all the repression, it was still blurry in parts and clear in others. "It's gone on for years; I'll tell you that much. It was supposed to be a nice little teaching, family act...but, my dad stepped away and his brother took over."

"Your father had a brother?"

"Adopted older brother. He's about five years older and my father only mentions him when he's coming to visit or I'm going down to his place."

"Wait, this isn't making any sense. Your dad's _adopted brother _taught you how to control your powers, when your father's the one that truly has them?" Reid nodded. "And in so teaching you, your uncle decided to have some fun and take his jealousy out on you?"

"I don't know about the jealousy..."

"Reid, think about it. Honestly. The Covenant is a long line of _Brothers._ We're all here together, and we treat each other as we would like to be treated ourselves. Our goal is to help each other survive, as well as anyone else. Your father has broken that pact by sending you off to get beaten by _his _brother for god knows how long, and then turns a blind eye to it? This is unbelievable!"

Reid pulled his hands off of his eyes and stood up, seeing that Caleb was standing as well, and pacing. Reid's vision blackened from his sudden movement, and he almost fell backwards into the stairs. He caught onto the railing to steady himself and when he could see again he glared at Caleb. "Don't talk about my father like that. I know he has never been the ideal father for me, but he is _my father_ and he has reasons—"

"It sounds to me like he didn't want to take care of you so he threw you into another's arms. I'm sorry, but that isn't right. I didn't mean to yell, either," Caleb said more softly, turning and looking at Reid once more. "Are you okay?"

Reid nodded and closed his eyes, sitting down. "My parents have always been fair with me. This is just one mistake they've made."

He opened his eyes again, and saw Caleb sit back down next to him. "So," the older Brother asked gently, "how long has this been going on?"

Reid shrugged, sighing. "Ever since I turned thirteen. Even though my birthday is at the end of April, my father made sure I didn't Use because he wanted my uncle to teach me how to control my powers, since he helped my father. I managed, barely, and at the start of summer my parents dumped me off at my uncle's for a month." Reid gave a slight shudder, remembering all of the beatings and the mirror reflecting the blood and bruises he had allowed to cover him. "He came over spring break and I wasn't expecting that. Normally I can prepare myself, but when it's a surprise like that, then I get stubborn."

Reid fell silent, Caleb just sitting next to him. Reid bottled up; he had said a lot more than he had intended too, and to Caleb, one of the last people he wanted to know, for the time being. Caleb stayed silent though for the moment, Reid envisioning everything once more, beginning to slightly shiver. He put his hands over his eyes once more and just sat there.

Softly, Caleb said, "So that explains why you got trashed at Nikki's and couldn't hang out." Reid only nodded. "Didn't you ever try to escape?"

Reid shook his head. "I couldn't. My uncle lives in the middle of nowhere, and I tried once over break, but the blast I gave him was too weak." Reid took in a deep breath and felt the tears want to rise once more. Because of his uncle, he was forced to be defensive towards others so he was never hurt again. Because of his uncle, his father didn't like him anymore. Because of his uncle, he learned how to deal with pain and hide it from others. Because of his uncle, he probably couldn't swim ever again. And, most importantly, because of his uncle, he had to hide his past and therefore lose the trust of his Brothers.

And Caleb just sat there next to him, probably silently disowning him for being weak and pathetic. Reid felt the sudden desire to be alone from everyone and hide in his own suffering while the world continued on. Caleb pulled Reid out of his depressing thoughts, saying, "I wish you had said something earlier. It takes a lot of strength and courage to admit what you just did, and we're going to get your powers back soon."

"I don't have any strength left though. It's all going away," Reid managed to get out. It was becoming harder to push back the tears. He was sick of having to hide everything to meet society's standards. Hell, he was sick of meeting _Caleb's _standards. He had began to open the dam that he had purposefully shut and locked, and now he didn't know how he was supposed to shut back all the emotions, memories, and tears that his uncle had brought upon him. If only he could find his power...then it would all be easy again and he could get away from everyone and everything.

He felt a comforting arm placed around his shoulders, surprising him. He took in a deep breath and tried to calm down once more, but failed. He wasn't going to look at Caleb, no matter what the older Brother wanted. Caleb was only going to judge him and make him feel like the insufferable waste of space that he was.

_But, is he really all the bad? He's listened to you this long and hasn't really said or done anything to make you feel like that terrible person you think yourself as. It was all directed towards your uncle. He's here to help you. Don't you want that?_ A little voice asked in the back of his head.

_I'm fine on my own, away from people and society. It's not that hard living on your own, and I'm smart enough with a good education to get myself a job. I can cut myself away from anyone, and leave all the crap-ass sympathy behind that people feel obligated to give me, _Reid's own voice countered back.

_Just listen to him and trust him. He's not that bad of a guy._

_That's what my father said about my uncle. Everyone has to earn their trust. Caleb hasn't done anything yet._

_Or you're just too blind to see everything that he's done for you._

Reid quit listening to the little voice, as Caleb asked quietly, "What do mean by strength?"

"Everything. It's all attacking me. Even my conscience. I don't have any more focus or dedication. Life's just...hard. Everything that I have ever liked or appreciated has been ripped away from me and I'm sick of it. I have nothing to live for anymore. I can't deal with it. I just want it all too end."

Anger was replacing the sadness. He felt Caleb tighten the grip around his back as he said, "No, you can deal with this. You've lasted this far, and I know you're at the end of your chain, but we have to make it through this. For the sake of Tyler, stick with this."

_Tyler...that's right...he's trapped...gone, lost, punished, all because of me... _"I... I can try..."

"Thank you, Reid. So far, it's only you and me until Pouge returns, and even then we're against Dustin, Chase, and Tyler." Reid felt Caleb shift, move his body away. Reid opened his eyes a little and saw Caleb in front of him. "We're going to try to call up your powers soon. By you beginning to open up, I'm hoping that it'll be easier to access your powers. Now, you're going to hate me for this next question, but I need to ask it."

Reid nodded. "Okay..."

"How do you call your powers?"

Reid looked away from Caleb. They had all sworn to not tell each other how they called up their powers...unless they were in a time of great need, like now. Throughout the generations, each son has had a different method of calling their powers. For those who were stronger, it was a little easier to find their power than those who were weaker. To keep the hatred and jealousy factor down, they decided not to say how they retrieved their powers.

"That's really personal," Reid simply said.

Caleb sighed. "I think we've gone a lot more personal that how you call your powers. By you telling me, I might be able to help you find them. For me," Caleb paused, looking away and hesitating as Reid simply watched him, wondering if he was really going to say his next words. "For me, it's running into a black room and finding the random cord in the middle of the room to turn on the light. I eventually became good at finding it, and now that I have my father's powers as well, it's an easy light switch next to the door."

Reid simply nodded, looking away again. "Mine...mines sort of like a clear door into a room. I can always see it, but it's a question of whether or not I can turn the handle."

"And you can't seem to turn the handle now?"

Reid shook his head. "It broke off."

Caleb nodded. "Follow me. We're going to get you through this quickly."

Reid followed Caleb down a hall and into another room, _the study,_ he recognized quickly enough. Caleb directed towards a couch and had him lay down. "Now, we begin."

XXX——X——XXX

Though they were on a strict time schedule, Caleb did a good job playing therapist and helping Reid gather his powers again. When he finally could feel it, Reid thought he was dreaming.

"Can you feel it once more?"

Reid nodded, opening his eyes. "Yeah, and it feels amazing."

Caleb nodded. "That's good. Now, we have to go find Tyler or Pouge. I'd prefer Tyler, but we're going to need help. Are you ready?"

Reid nodded and stood up, feeling better than he had in a long time. Still worn out like none other, but better. He could feel his power taking away his pain and healing his body just enough so he would be able to fight. Reid looked at Caleb, thinking of places where Chase would've taken Tyler, but no major obvious places came up. Reid had ideas, but that was about it.

Caleb looked at him and said, "I'm going to call Pouge really quick to see if he answers his phone."

Reid nodded and headed towards the garage to Caleb's mustang. He thought that Chase might've taken him to his old house, or to Dustin's... _Nah, not Dustin's. It's too surrounded. _He wondered about any places outside of their town, but there wasn't much. Some storage houses, various stores along the highways, and that was about it. The closest town was twenty minutes away, and that was where Sarah's parents lived. _I don't know...maybe Pouge will quit being an asshole and look around. _Reid leaned against the car and sighed. He let the power simmer, afraid of letting it go completely. _I have to let it go, otherwise it's just going to wear me out. I'll be able to call it back up. Caleb will be able to help me out, which I never thought I'd be thinking…_

Reid looked up as Caleb entered the garage, and saw an irritated look on his face. "So?" he simply asked, walking over to the passenger side of the car.

"He answered. He said he'd look around. I highly doubt it, but he said he had a few ideas. I told him to meet us at the old farm in an hour, but he said he'd get there when he got there. Let's go. I have an idea, and Tyler's ascending soon, so we might be able to feel his powers."

Reid nodded, simply looking out of the window as Caleb drove into town, watching the trees and houses pass on by. He thought back to his uncle, but felt satisfaction underneath his hatred. He could defeat his uncle and seek his revenge for once. It'd be a nice feeling, he decided, to inflict harm on those that _deserved _it. Still sort of mean, but this guy deserved it. Reid calmed down, letting the anger and hurt simmer on the edge. He had fully pushed his powers back into the room, but it almost felt like he was still holding onto it. Almost. He turned towards Caleb, thinking. Without pausing to realize what he was saying, he asked, "So what made you want to take care of me?"

He saw Caleb glance at him, the surprise covering his face openly. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You never really seemed to care for me before. All these years you simply looked at me as the youngest and that was it. I had the impression that since you were the oldest, you were the leader, and that was all that mattered. You stuck with Pouge and Tyler, and I was sort of the one that was left behind every time."

Reid watched at Caleb remained silent. "I will go with you on that. I don't know why though I did that. I knew that you simply wanted attention because you were the youngest and raised a little differently than us. I just saw you as different and I knew you'd be able to handle yourself if something ever happened, so I wasn't worried. I know that I was by you as a Brother, but as a friend, I didn't realize that you really valued our closeness. And for that, I'm really sorry."

Reid looked back out of the window, nodding. He was right then. Caleb did only see him with the responsibility as a Brother, and not really a friend. "It's fine. I expected as much." Reid knew Caleb wouldn't know what to do or say, so he next asked, "So, any ideas where Chase might be hiding Tyler?"

"There are a lot of places where he could and couldn't be. Obviously not the school, the pool, Nikki's, places like those that we're familiar with. I'm thinking like one of the old abandoned houses on the outskirts of town."

"What about around where Putnam barn used to be? Someplace close to home?"

Caleb thought a bit. "I don't remember of any houses around there. I'm sure there are some, but I don't remember where."

"Might as well try since its close by."

Caleb nodded and turned down one of the roads close by, silence once more enveloping the car. They didn't have to drive very far before they found one of the first houses close to where the Putnam barn used to be. They stopped at the first one, Reid getting out quietly and looking around, trying to tell if anyone was there. This was where they needed Pouge. He went up the front door and looked around, trying to tell if anyone had been there. He opened the door and looked inside, on his guard, and could instantly tell that no one was there, or had even been there.

Sighing, he went back to the car and he and Caleb moved on. Five houses later though, there still wasn't any sign. "There's one more left, so we might as well try that," Caleb said, keeping an eye on the clock. They still had another twenty minutes before Pouge was supposed to meet up with them.

They pulled up and Reid felt someone Use. "This is the place," he said, placing a hand on the door to his powers. Caleb pulled out his cell phone and quickly called Pouge, telling him where they were.

He came back up to Reid, saying, "We might as well go in. It's still another four hours until Tyler ascends, and we might be able to hold Chase and Dustin off until Pouge gets here."

Reid nodded and followed Caleb up to the door, as Caleb whispered, "The place is trapped. There's not going to be any sneaking in. I can feel the alarms of the power in front of me." He looked back and Reid nodded. "Here goes..."

Caleb ran and pushed the front door open, and Reid followed right behind, looking around quickly. The house was shabby, falling apart walls and curtains and anything else that was over a hundred years old. Reid saw a door that led to a basement partly open and started to head towards that when he felt something gripping his neck. Instantly he went and tried to get it off, but the more he struggled, the more it tightened. Caleb came over and began to help him, but paused as his eyes laid on someone. Reid looked over, gasping for breath now, and saw Chase.

He smiled, walking over calmly. "What's the matter Reid? I didn't think your breathing was ever this horrible. I guess that's what happens when you try to kill off your body so much."

Reid struggled more, beginning to panic. "Ss—Stop!" He managed to yell, feeling the familiar effects arriving.

"What's the matter? Do they feel like your uncle's hands?

Reid began to slip back into the familiar face of his memories, beginning to panic once more and lose the hold on his powers. _No, it's slipping! Don't, don't, don't...this can't be happening again!_

He closed his eyes and felt the familiar suffocating effects, and saw his uncle above him, the thick hands wrapping around his neck, strong enough to snap it in half if he wanted... He began losing faith once more, and started to give in...struggling only made things worse...his uncle had taught him that...

"Reid!" he heard someone yell, but it didn't matter. He was falling away again, letting go of the one thing that held his life together...

He thought he was collapsing onto the ground, unable to breathe as his body gave out on him once more. He welcomed the dark, as always, and hoped that this would be the one that was going to take him away. Maybe...just maybe...

"Breathe Reid!" Another voice told him, different than the gruff one that had yelled his name. "I know you're still there; come on Reid, breathe!"

He didn't want to, he didn't want to, but he had to. His body needed it. Reid took in a breathe, and soon took in another. He inhaled quickly and deeply, waking up. He opened his eyes, and saw Pouge above him. Reid's hands went for his neck, but the rope-thing that had cut off his breathing was gone. He looked at Pouge, and began to look around. He was indeed lying on the ground, but it couldn't have been for long. "Where's Chase and Caleb?" he asked, beginning to sit up.

"I don't know. I just got here. Are you okay?"

Reid nodded. "I'll be fine. We better go find Dustin and Tyler before it's too late."

"Since we only have three and a half hours left, good idea." Pouge helped Reid stand up, saying, "Let's go look for someone. I'll try to find Chase or Tyler. You can find Dustin or Tyler."

Reid nodded again, and watched Pouge slip off outside, hunting Caleb and Chase down. He looked around, and saw the basement. He remembered his dream, and didn't want to go down there. If he did though, he knew he'd find something. What though, was the question he really didn't want to answer.

And, out of sheer stupidity Reid thought, he headed slowly towards the door, looked down, didn't see any form of light switch, sighed, and headed on down, slowly. He tested each step, the power on the edge, wanting release. But, he couldn't call up any lighting or anything, because the powers didn't work that way.

Reid sucked up whatever courage he had and went down to the bottom, where he saw a light. He went towards it slowly and flipped it on, a soft golden glow extending out in the dark. He looked around quickly, allowing the power to embrace him in case someone attacked him. His eyes landed on Tyler and he nearly yelled in surprise. He looked at his Brother, and his breath caught. Blood lined his head, hair, and clothes, his eyes were black, and Reid could pick out numerous bruises on the visible skin. "Tyler, what happened?" Reid began walking over, but paused when Tyler put out his hands. "Tyler, what's wrong? It's me, Reid."

Tyler shook his head. "You're one of the things keeping me alive."

Before Reid could react, Tyler threw a burst of power at Reid and knocked him back, landing into a metal shelving unit that swayed and partly began to collapse above him. He saw Tyler begin to walk towards him, and grabbed a hold on his power. He braced himself to shoot a burst at Tyler, but Tyler seemed to jump in distance and appeared in front of Reid, shooting another blast at the blonde. Reid felt the blast travel through his entire body, and then around the surroundings. The metal shelving shook once more, breaking apart. Reid yelled the shelves collapsed on top of him, knocking him in the head and into unconsciousness once more.

* * *

Hehe? Umm...hi there...i'm...alive...and writing once more. Sorry this took so long. I've just been uber busy and never home, and the only time i have for writing anymore is at night, (hence why my clock is reading almost 2 am, mountain time :P) Well, here's chapter 18 and i really hope you enjoy it...I know i always do the "so-and-so is going to be Chapter xx's pov!!" but...yeah. For chapter 19...i think it's going to be caleb...pretty sure. I haven't obviously started writing it yet, and yes you can yell at me for it. But, i have to say that my muses decided to ditch out on me and i had a very hard time writing the first half of the chapter. But, i rewatched the movie, made a music vid to Falling Down by Atreyu (which you should look up on youtube...please please please??) and i think my muses have decided to be nice and come back. So. Reid has his powers, and what's happened to Tyler?? Hehehe. Thanks to my lovely reviewers for the last chapter... (3?? Come on, you guys are killing my motivation to continue) though thank you oh so much to the three that did review. I hope my next chapter is sooner than like three months, and yeah...i hope you enjoyed!!


	19. Final Countdown

**xxxxx19xxxx-**

Caleb watched Chase disappear out of the room and was forced to make a decision he didn't want to. Follow Chase and end this madness, or lose him by tending to Reid. He could still feel the trace of Chase's power, or at least enough to follow him. But, there was Reid, suffocating on the ground. Caleb brought up his power to the surface and untied the strand of power that was on Reid's neck. Now, he had to go otherwise he would lose the demented bastard. He hoped that Pouge would be there soon and help Reid out...

Caleb grabbed at the last of the line he felt of Chase's power and gave a quick pull on it, trying to find the general area where Chase disappeared to. Caleb floated his power out along it, eyes closed, thinking, feeling... _Upstairs. Wow. That's predictable..._

Caleb ran up the stairs, following the thread as it faded away. He reached the second floor and looked down the hall, stumbling as he tripped over something. He looked down and almost yelled. It was a woman, dead. Her throat had been slit and the blood had stained the wood flooring a deep red that was almost purple. He stumbled away from her, unable to breathe. He looked around for any signs of Chase, and saw him slip back into a room. Caleb only saw a bit of his jacket, but he was sure it couldn't be anyone else.

He ran towards the room, trying to shove the woman out of his mind until later. He looked into the room, trying to bring his focus back onto what was needed to be done first. He saw Chase standing in front of a window, arms crossed, brown leather jacket seeming to absorb the remaining sunlight. He didn't move, only smiled, as Caleb absorbed the surroundings. Blood splatters coated the walls like children's water paints, and various furniture and clothing items had been shredded and pulled apart. Caleb couldn't gather what had gone on.

"Can your mind recognize the surroundings my dear Brother?" Chase taunted, looking around the room as well.

Caleb gathered that there had been a massive struggle, but why was everything torn apart?

"If you think this is bad, you should see the basement. Tyler left a larger mess down there. This here, this is from the owners. They seemed to have lost their sanity and went after each other in quite a gruesome manner. The wife used an axe. The husband used a machete. It was amusing the watch."

Caleb was going to be sick. He fought to have the center of his attention stay on Chase and not the current surroundings and of what was back in the hallway. Who knew where the husband was? "Why?" was all he could ask at the moment, until his brain calmed down.

"Why? Because I needed to test out a new ability. And, it works quite amazing. Just ask Tyler next time you see him."

"What did you do to him?" Caleb was standing straighter, beginning to regain his breath. He began to move closer to Chase, but the older teen stepped onto the windowsill. "Let's just say, he's getting in touch with his darker side."

Caleb ran towards Chase, and watched him jump through the window. He dove backwards, and all the glass shards were sent towards Caleb. He Used, and kept them from all stabbing into him, and jumped after Chase. He saw Chase land a back flip, and stand like he was in front of a grand audience. Caleb jumped down after him, and the chase began.

"Come on, Caleb, what have you got? You have nothing to prove that you're better than me, and I have ally's that are more powerful than yours. I know what happened to little Reid; he's going to be an easy one to take apart. Pouge's life rests on that girl. Bring an image of her into the scene and he's down too. I have Dustin; yes, he's a human, but he has his strengths. Tyler's about to ascend, and when he does, I get his powers. I will be stronger than all of you combined!"

Caleb followed him through the trees, sending bits of power in his direction, only managing to bring down the surroundings and not the creature in front of him. "You're not going to touch him! He still has a little under four hours until he ascends. Whatever you've done to him, you're going to regret!"

Chase stopped suddenly, jumped to the side out of Caleb's sight, and disappeared. Caleb stopped and looked around the trees, catching his breath. "Where did you go?" He yelled, voice echoing through the branches and wind.

"Why are you so concerned about me? I thought you were more worried about your fellow Brother and his sanity?" Chase replied, his voice echoing just as Caleb's had.

"Pouge and Reid are there. Once you're put to an end, then this will all end."

"So you're going to kill me now, are you? You failed last time, so I assumed that nothing had changed. Do you really think that you have the mental strength to murder someone for something that they believe is right?"

Caleb didn't reply. Yes, he could kill Chase easily. But would he be able to deal with himself and the looks he would receive from the other Brother's?

"My point exactly little Brother. You wouldn't be able to live with yourself and with the looks and whispers you'd receive from your little 'Covenant.' So, what's the plan, Caleb? I know you are going to fight me, but the outcome can be of two ways: I die, or you die. I'm not afraid of killing people. You are."

Caleb shook his head. He had to kill Chase...but the kill would be on his hands...it'd be on the _Covenant's_ hands. But...he had to. Chase was never going to leave them alone; he was too power hungry. With Caleb having his ascended powers as well as his fathers, Pouge and soon Tyler ascended, why should Chase leave them alone?

Caleb looked around the trees once more, taking in a breath. "Come out of your hiding Chase. I will see the end to you, and I'm going to make it as painful and worthwhile as ever."

Chase appeared in front of Caleb, smiling. "Well well. My younger Brother has decided to become a man." He began laughing as Caleb regained his ground from the surprise showing. "Are you truly ready to spill the blood of another man? You almost succeeded the first time back at the barn...but let's see if you have the strength to do it again."

Without warning Chase shot a burst of power at Caleb's stomach, and sent him flying back into a tree. Caleb lost his air, and couldn't move for a few seconds. When he could move again he looked up at Chase and sent a burst of power at him. The fight was on. Seconds lasted hours already, and it was only the beginning. Chase jumped into the air. Caleb followed. They shot at each other, Caleb going through his mind of the past two times him and Chase had fought. The other teen didn't change up his fighting stances all that much, so he might be able to predict the next move and gain the upper hand. Just maybe...

But, within minutes, Caleb saw that Chase was in his territory. He had lost Chase a few times, only to have him reappear the hit Caleb from behind with a sneak attack. Caleb knew he was losing, but not all that horribly. If only he could catch onto what pattern Chase was using for the attacks...it sort of varied, but there was a pattern.

_Me. Chase. Chase. Chase. Me. Disappear. Chase. Me. Chase. Chase. Me. Chase. Me. Disappear. Chase. Me. Chase. Chase. Chase. Me. Disappear. Chase. Me. Chase. Me. Chase. Chase. Chase. Me. Disappear..._

_There's almost a pattern of threes..._

Caleb smiled, glad he was beginning to see the whole picture. He counted after Chase disappeared, and on the third move he ducked and uppercut Chase, catching him in the stomach. At the end of his fist, he had the strongest ball of power he could create in a few seconds, and sent it throughout Chase as he completed the hit and sent him back and falling. Caleb smiled. He knew he had the upper hand now.

He flew down to Chase's level and continued to ensure that he had the upper hand. He sent a burst of power through Chase's heart, and watched it travel through his body like an electric current. Hell, it could probably be considered an electric current. He sent another one, and Chase jerked, beginning to wake up. Caleb sent a third jolt, and Chase smiled. He caught it, and sent it back at Caleb, hitting _him_ in the heart. Caleb stiffened out of reflex and dropped to the ground, falling onto his knees. When he could next move, he felt another one hit his heart, and soon another one after that.

He looked up, breath turning ragged. "It's not fun, is it? Though you did have me surprised for a second. But, this isn't how I want to kill you. You will die by willing me your powers, and I know the best way for me to get them."

He placed his hand on Caleb's head and stared into Caleb's eyes, and Caleb soon felt more than just the hand on his head. He seemed to feel the hand sinking through his skull and rest on his brain. He tried to shake his head, but Chase only laughed. "Nothing you do will work now. I will make you grovel at my feet, wishing for mercy. And, you won't get any until you will me your powers. Got it?"

Caleb shook his head, eyes now closed tight. He gathered his powers and quickly looked at Chase, shooting them at the hand that was attached to his head. He whipped it off his head, but at the same time felt a ripping sensation throughout his head, like someone had grabbed every piece of hair on his skull and decided to slowly pull it off as one. He yelled and dropped onto the ground, hands pressing down on his head to try to ease the pain. He barely felt the kick to his ribs and hand on his throat, holding tight.

"You bastard. You broke my wrist. My powers will heal it, but it'll take a long while. How dare you hurt me in such a fashion!"

"I'm supposed to put an end to you anyway," Caleb mumbled out, the pain beginning to lessen. He opened his eyes, his vision slowly becoming better. Chase was panting almost, eyes looking wild through the power.

"So you really are going through with your plans to kill me. Start off easy, work your way up? Do we have another me in the process?" Caleb started to sit up, growing more cautious and nervous as Chase began to show his insane side. "Well _Brother, _shall we at least make this an interesting fiasco?"

_Fiasco? _Caleb thought, hoping that Chase had used that wrong word. Chase appeared quickly in front of Caleb and lifted him up by the neck and threw him, Caleb sending his power out to stop him from crashing into anything, or, as he pictured, the woods and possibly backwards version of George of the Jungle. He did save himself from crashing into a tree, and he simply dropped to the ground, beginning to lose his focus. His head was now only throbbing, and his neck was sore from Chase's grip. The power kept him going, luckily, but he was only wearing his body out that much faster. One of the last things he wanted to happen was become addicted to the power and turn out like his father.

Chase's voice boomed out again, saying, "Well, well, well...where has the little Caleb gone? I last remember throwing you...this way!"

He appeared in front of Caleb, surprising him for a split second, before his brain kicked in and he quickly blasted Chase, though just as the other teen sent a burst of power his way. Both hit their targets, both guys landing on their backs. At the same time, they jumped up into the air, and stayed there for a few seconds, ready to fire at each other as they slowly glided onto the ground.

"Yes, my boy, this is what _I WANT!_" Chase yelled, smiling again. "I want the _thrill, _the _adventure, _the fucking _RUSH_ of the hunt. And I want a prey that can fight back. You, Caleb, give me everything I desire."

"Not everything," Caleb said, preparing himself, trying to make the power ball smaller than it really was. "You still haven't gotten my powers, and those aren't all that good while I'm dead, huh?" he asked, throwing the ball while he was speaking. Chase launched his as well, but Caleb's was larger. His overcame Chase's, barely, and Caleb ran, knowing he needed to get out of there, whether or not Chase was hit.

He found he was near the house and ran towards it, keeping an eye out for Pouge, Tyler, Dustin, or Reid. He stopped at the house, catching his breath and looking around. There were messes everywhere, and he hoped that Pouge hadn't created any unless it was necessary.

"Pouge!" he called, looking around. He made sure Chase hadn't caught up and ran around the house, not finding anyone or anything except Pouge's bike out front. He walked into the house, careful to be silent, and saw that Reid wasn't around. The basement door was open, and he saw the light on. Checking his surroundings and remembering Chase's words, he cautiously went to the door and down the stairs, instantly catching sight of all the blood that surrounded the room.

_No person can leave all this blood and still be alive, _he thought, reaching the bottom of the stairs and seeing a large puddle of blood that was dry. He looked around, trying to remain calm. As he dubbed the room "clear" he saw a huge mess on a far side of the room and walked closer, knowing the mess hadn't just "fallen over." He checked around him again and continued forward, seeing that there was something under the mess. He moved quicker, seeing it was a person. Maybe they would still be alive, instead of like the couple upstairs. He gasped though when he recognized the body as Reid's. He quickly moved the metal rails, shelves, and other items that seemed to be boxes of various items that had spilled out onto the unconscious blonde, and saw blood matting the side of his head and face.

"Reid!" he called as he grabbed the boy, looking around the surroundings once more to double-check no one was there. "Come on, man, wake up!"

He didn't get any response and quickly cast his power over his friend, finding what was wrong. Bruises, cuts, and the head wound. Pretty bad concussion, but a little healing would insure that he lived. And he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, unless his power kicked in and decided his body was fit to fight.

_Where to put him though? He's not safe anywhere, otherwise he's going to be attacked. I don't want to leave him down here, but if whoever did this to him thinks he's dead, then they're not going to come back... I can keep Chase distracted, but I don't know where Dustin is. Hopefully Pouge's taking care of him, and Tyler hasn't appeared anywhere... God dammit where is everyone?!_

He looked back at Reid, seeing the figure's head bent down and hanging to the left, arms limp at his sides, the simple unconscious posture of his body saying that he's had way to much trouble in the past three weeks.

"I'm your Brother, Reid, whether you like it or not. And, I'm always going to be here for you. I'll be back to check on you..."

He double checked that he had healed the concussion so Reid wasn't in danger of dying and ran back up the stairs, more slowly as he arrived to the top. He looked around and crept out of the basement, not wanting to give anyone who happened to be around the idea that someone was down there. Caleb knew Reid's body and mind couldn't deal with much more pain. He was supposed to be the leader, and no one was going to lay a hand on his littlest Brother.

He walked back outside, looking around once more. He heard a yell, and thought it was Pouge. He ran off in the direction, trying to find a trace of power. "Pouge!" he called, hoping the teen or someone would Use.

"Caleb!" he heard him reply, and followed the voice. He found Pouge fighting against Dustin, Tyler standing impatiently in the background, watching.

Caleb hoped that Pouge didn't mind if he finished the fight quickly. Caleb called up a simple ray of power and shot it at Dustin, surprising the human. He flew back, spinning, and Tyler dodged out of the way. Dustin hit the ground, slid a little bit, and didn't move. Caleb looked at Pouge, keeping a view of Tyler in his sight. "Sorry, but I hope I was allowed to speed things up."

"It's no problem. Tyler placed a spell on me that bound my powers as I fought Dustin, 'so it'd be more fair.' Caleb, this isn't the Tyler we know. This is his dark side I think."

"Chase mentioned something about that..." Caleb trailed off as Tyler walked closer, eyes blackening.

Without any sign or warning he sent a wave of power at the two of them, but it wasn't quite strong enough to do any damage. Yet. Caleb checked his watch and saw they had less than two hours. _Shit, it doesn't seem like we've been fighting that long... _He looked at Tyler, and saw that the boy was preparing another blast. He shot his own, knocking the younger Brother's hands apart and destroying the current he was trying to build. "Tyler! What are you doing?"

"Simple. Destroying the things that are keeping me alive."

"That's the same thing he said to me when I asked what the hell his problem was," Pouge commented, both Brothers soon diving to opposite sides to avoid being hit.

Caleb looked at Tyler, trying to find anything that seemed out of place. First, the blood that covered him was obvious. There were various stains on his clothes, and the dried patches and drips on his face. Second, his posture was straighter, like he believed in himself more. Tyler was always sort of hunched over, except when he was nervous or trying to prove something to someone in a fight. Third, he had a look of pain on his face that Caleb knew he'd see easier if Tyler's eyes weren't black.

Caleb stood up, watching Pouge out of the corner of his eye stand up as well. "Tyler, don't be doing this. We can beat you, and we don't want to. We're your Brothers. Please, listen to us."

"Shut up! You're speaking lies!"

Tyler quickly shot a blast at Caleb, then Pouge, but Caleb attempted to catch it, only, something went wrong. It exploded in his hands and blasted him backwards. His world turned dark for a few seconds, and only darker as he crashed into something. He waited, staying still, until his vision returned. When he next opened his eyes, he saw Pouge standing in front of him, deflecting Tyler's shots. Caleb attempted to stand up, and almost fell back over.

"Don't stand up yet Caleb. You hit your head pretty hard."

Caleb allowed himself to slide back onto the ground and control his breathing. His head was beginning to hurt, as well as his chest and arms. He looked down and saw his clothes and skin was blackened and hurting. He calmed his breathing and attempted to stand up once more as Tyler and Pouge were battling. His vision darkened a little bit, but it wasn't horrible. He gathered his powers once more, and looked at Tyler. "Sorry, Ty, but this is for your own good."

He threw his power at Tyler and hit him square in the chest, and watched him fall to the ground. Caleb fell onto his knees, breathing hard again. Pouge came over to his side, asking, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. And hurting. It varies."

Pouge nodded and looked around. "Well, Tyler's down for now, but with how his mind has been warped, I don't know how long he's going to stay out. Yeah, his body can only take so much, but his mind will try to convince himself to fight to the death..."

"I know, and I want to know what happened so we can heal him."

"Simple," another voice said, Caleb and Pouge trying to find Chase. "I destroyed his mind. It doesn't exist anymore and his only goal is killing those that he once believed in and trusted." Chase floated down from the tops of the trees, landing smoothly next to Tyler. Caleb and Pouge only watched him, waiting for his next move. "You see," he said as he held a hand over Tyler, a blue glow beginning to travel around the younger teen, "Tyler is the key person to your group, whether you see it or not. Pouge has Kate, and you have Sarah. Reid is his own little trouble making person, and Tyler is like the middle man of all of you. Caleb and Pouge, you two are fairly good friends, but Reid is sometimes left out, only because you don't feel like dealing with him. But, by you being friends with Tyler, you're friends with Reid. If Tyler though is cut off from your little group, Reid is then cut off, and soon your friendship between the two of you will begin to disappear.

"There are little things throughout life that hold groups of people together, and Tyler is that little thing. I haven't watched you guys your entire lives to tell you all of the moments that Tyler has changed just by being there, but if you think about all of the fights and what Tyler has done so you can go do your own little thing, it might begin to make sense."

Caleb only stared at Chase, confused. Tyler has always been there friend, and so has Reid. "You're not making any sense Chase."

"You're just being blindsighted by your mistakes though I suppose it doesn't matter anymore. I'm only stalling for time anyway."

Caleb and Pouge looked at him, and then saw what he meant. Tyler groaned and opened his eyes, beginning to stand up. The blue glow around him disappeared, and he looked a lot more refreshed than before. "Now, shall I show you what simple methods can be used to turn a devoted Brother into a heartless enemy?"

Chase grabbed Tyler and placed him in front of himself before shoving Tyler onto his knees. He placed his hand on top of Tyler's head, and smiled as Tyler began to shake. "You've disappointed me. Your 'Brothers' are still alive and breathing. Why is that?"

Tyler's eyes were shut tightly, and his breathing was fast. "Because...because...because they're stronger than me!"

"That isn't an issue here. Your strength is greater than theirs, and yet here you are, wimping out on me. Do you remember our last discussion?"

Tyler screamed, before answering, "Yes! I do, I do!"

"That's what I thought. Now, get up and destroy them for your freedom!"

Tyler screamed again, shaking even worse now. Chase removed his hand and Tyler fell onto the ground, breathing hard still, tears coming out of his eyes. He began to move though, especially as Chase kicked him in the side. Caleb felt Pouge fidget beside him, and soon a blast was aimed at Chase, but it disappeared. The dust settled, and Caleb saw Chase holding Tyler in front of him, who looked pained.

"Did you really mean to hit your Brother, Pouge? That wasn't very smart of you."

Caleb stared at Chase, wondering how in the deepest depths of hell they were going to get Tyler back on their side. _We need Reid. Fuck. We really need Reid conscious and moving to help us out..._

"So boys," Chase said, grinning maniacally, "are you ready to begin the finale?"

* * *

Yay!! An update!! Like, really fast, compaired to how bad i've been doing...hehe. I hope that you enjoy this chapter, and hehe, i'm liking where this was going...sorta what i had planned with how i'm going to end this, but yeah. It's sorta getting there. Definitely on the downhill...just dont know how far. :P Thanks to all of you amazing reviewers, i had a little more motivation to continue on, hehe, and i had a little creative spark in the beginning of this which i was very grateful for, hehehehe. So yeah... Thanks for those of you who reviewed, and i will continue on to reply back. Hope to get the next chapter out soon, and i'm thinking along the lines of Pouge's or Reid's pov... i'll probly go with Pouge's, since i haven't done that for awhile. hehe. and yeah, if you ever want to know the progress of my chapters, just look on my profile. I try to keep that updated!! K, so there's chapter 19 for ya!! Hope you enjoyed!! (and bonus points to those who can tell me the artist who did the chapter title...haha. It's an old 80s song i believe, and has absolutely nothing to do with the story though XD)


	20. Seek and Destroy

**/20\**

Pouge watched Chase, Tyler and Caleb out of the corner of his eye. He was still hurting a little from Dustin, but this was a lot more important. Everything was awkwardly still, and the two little groups just watched each other. Finally, though still looking a little dazed from whatever Chase had done to him, Tyler made a move, faster than Pouge expected him too.

He faked it though, Chase being the one who shot a blast of power. Chase hit Caleb, Tyler catching Pouge in the shoulder. Pouge stumbled, seeing Tyler right in front of his face, smiling. He attempted to punch Pouge in the nose, but Pouge tucked his head, caught the fist in his forehead, then tucked his shoulder and swung Tyler away from him. Tyler fell onto his back for a second, Pouge looking for Chase and Caleb. The two were gone within the trees, and when Pouge turned back to Tyler, he was gone.

"What the hell?" he muttered, looking around, scanning the area. Tyler was still close by, only a hundred feet away or so. He turned and went to find him, only Tyler was there. "Quit fucking doing that," he said, hitting Tyler with his power. "Stay in one spot."

Tyler looked at him, eyes darker than normal. "You're going down."

Though the seriousness of the situation, Pouge almost laughed at the expression on Tyler's face. Tyler always was the calm, shy, standing in the back kind of guy who couldn't be feared. It just didn't work that way. "Okay Tyler, see if you can take me down."

Tyler came at him, for some reason trying to hit him with his fists more than his power. Pouge shrugged mentally and blasted him with his power, sending the younger brunette flying back and hitting a tree. Pouge winced and thought, _I can't be nice to him, otherwise he's going to kill me. What can I do to get him back on our side? Knock him out?_

Tyler stood up, looked at Pouge, and seemed to just watch him for a couple of seconds. Finally, he moved, only faster than Pouge expected. He turned, and felt something slam into his back. He soon felt another blast into his right side, leg, and arm, then crashed into something and felt his left side go numb. He hit the ground and groaned, wondering what the hell just happened. He slowly opened his eyes, vision swaying, and recognized Tyler standing in front of him.

"You gotta be meaner if you wanna be stronger," Tyler said with a smirk, preparing a ball of power to shoot at Pouge.

Pouge shifted his weight, and quickly rolled into a better squatting position and tackled Tyler's legs. The ball went up and hit the tree, spraying leaves and bits of wood all over them. Pouge caught his breath and punched Tyler in the stomach. Tyler reacted, causing Pouge to wonder if the real boy was in there somewhere. Otherwise, wouldn't his will to die block out the pain?

"Stop. Being. Such. A. Prick," Pouge said, slapping Tyler across the face each time. "It's kind of annoying, and I know the real Tyler is in their somewhere. Now. Cut it out!"

He took a blast of power and hit Tyler in the chest with it, watching the teens eyes close for a moment. He prepared another shot, preferring Tyler to be unconscious than dead. _What is going on in his head? It's like he wants to fight and hurt me, yet he's holding back. Is the real Tyler in their somewhere? _He watched Tyler move back and forth, like he was debating whether or not the pain hurt. Finally, Tyler slowly opened his eyes. Only, the thing that threw Pouge way off were the tears. "Please," he said, voice quiet. "Let me die. By you dead, I'm allowed to die. Please."

Pouge stared at him, mind blank. "Tyler," he began, "don't worry. You're safe with us. Come on man, when we beat Chase, it's all good again." He held his hand out to Tyler and waited for him to grab a hold. Tyler shook his head though.

"No. It doesn't work that way. When you and the other two die, I'm allowed to die in peace. It's the plan! It's what was supposed to happen!"

Pouge shook his head. "Tyler, you don't know what you're saying. Trust me, you're better off out of that killer's hands and on our side. Come on Tyler, please."

Tyler only looked at him, the black slowly creeping back in. "I can't. I just can't."

Pouge let the power flow through him and barely blocked a shot Tyler threw at him. Tyler disappeared again, and Pouge sent out a wave, scanning the area. He could tell though right away that Tyler had fled. He sighed and tried to find him or Caleb, only he came across Caleb first and went to help him out. Something wasn't right though. He stopped heading towards Caleb and felt something way off. It was with Reid, or Tyler. Pouge cleared his head, unable to sweep the dread out of it. He began to go back towards the house but the emotion swayed greatly. It had something to do with Tyler and Caleb.

"Caleb!" He called, rushing towards the friend's location, hoping Tyler wasn't about to do anything drastic that he would come to regret.

He finally found the battle scene between Chase and Caleb and looked around, trying to find Tyler. He scanned the area, and found Tyler hiding up the trees somewhere close by, not moving. He looked up, and saw only a piece of Tyler's pants. Pouge was beginning to get annoyed with this consistent battling and how nothing was really getting done. Chase was stronger than they had thought, and they only had a little bit of time left...probably around an hour or something until Tyler ascended.

"Caleb, we don't have much time left!" he called, the other teen nodding.

Pouge turned towards Chase, as Caleb yelled, "Look out!"

Pouge turned, and the last thing he saw Tyler's malevolent smirk.

XXX——X——XXX

_What the fuck was that?_

Pouge attempted to open his eyes, and barely managed. "You okay?" he heard, causing him to quickly shift around. He saw Reid, sitting on the ground and wondered where he was.

"Where am I?"

"You're in the basement. I heard them bring you down and they were too preoccupied with you to even wonder if I was alive."

Pouge nodded, and noticed how quiet and sore Reid's voice was. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I can't move much though, otherwise I black out. I've had worse."

Pouge nodded and slowly sat up, looking around. He noted all of the blood spatters on the floor and how destroyed the basement was. He wasn't tied up or anything, yet he had a hard time moving. He looked at Reid, and fully took in how the boy looked. His face was whiter than normal, and blood matted the left side of his face. He had his eyes closed and his breathing seemed quicker than normal. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Reid nodded, but it was short and it looked like he paled even more. He continued to sit on the ground, leaning against the wall next to a pile of collapsed items. He continued to have his head bent down and Pouge wasn't sure if his eyes were open. When he thought he could manage, he stood up and walked over to Reid, seeing the shaky kid. He lifted up the blonde's head and a saw a line of sweat across his forehead.

"Reid, you're not okay. What hurts?"

Reid tried to move away, but he wasn't strong enough. "I-I'm fine. Don't worry. It's nothing."

"You're shaking, you're sweating, you're voice is quieter than normal, you're pale, and you can't really focus on anything. Is it your head?"

He shook his head. "There's no mark, or none really. It's sorta gone and it doesn't hurt much."

Pouge slowly let go of Reid's chin and sat completely on the ground. "Well, we need to get out of here, unless you're not up for moving. I don't know what Tyler did to me, but I think it's wearing off. Caleb won't be able to stand much more of this on his own, and Tyler I'm pretty sure has ascended by now. Unless I haven't been down here that long?"

"Only 'bout a half hour or so maybe."

Pouge nodded. "I have to go find everyone. Are you able to come?"

"Yeah, go on ahead though. You need to help Tyler. I'll get there eventually."

Pouge nodded, not wanting to keep his Brother here in the basement. He nodded though, and stood up, slowly heading towards the stairs, vision slightly swaying. _What did Tyler do to knock me out so quick? I didn't feel him coming towards me at all, and then he was right there, and now I'm down here. _

As he reached the top of the stairs he quickly left the house and grabbed his powers, sending a large scan out through the area. He didn't feel anyone besides Reid nearby, and... There. About five hundred or so feet away, he could feel three people and he figured he didn't need to guess who that all was.

He went off in the direction, soon noticing it was in the direction of Putnam Barn, though the place wasn't standing anymore. He looked at his watch and realized he had about six minutes until Tyler ascended. He soon reached the place and slowed, looking at where everyone was. Caleb was held against a tree, looking on the verge of unconsciousness. Tyler was laying on the ground, eyes closed. Chase stood at Tyler's head, eyes on Caleb, often moving between the two.

Pouge looked at his watch, and knew if he didn't do something to Chase right as Tyler began to ascend, they were done. Reid was in no condition to fight, and he'd be surprised if he even made it up the stairs, let alone find his way out the door and towards them.

At last, the sky began to darken as the clouds came in, Tyler's power drawing them as a wind began to pick up, swirling around the area. Tyler's body shook as he panted, soon looking as if he was writhing in pain, everyone who was there knowing it was in fact pain, and it was going to get worse. Strands of power flew into Tyler, and Pouge gathered his own power as the mayhem of Tyler's was flowing around and took his chance, hitting the malevolent asshole square in the head. Chase flew back from the surprise attack and Pouge ran towards him, knowing he had to get Chase unconscious. He was down when Pouge reached him, but to insure it, he blasted his power at his chest and head, then tied him to the ground with his power. He quickly went over to Caleb and undid the ropes of power Chase had tied around him.

"Come on. If any time is right to destroy Chase, now would be it."

Caleb shook his head, as if to clear it. He looked at Chase, Tyler, than to Pouge. "I don't know. I want some answers, but he's to strong. We need items that'll trap him, though yes, we do need him dead."

Pouge turned towards Chase and Tyler, Tyler now yelling in pain as the strands became thicker. "We don't have much longer. Who knows how Tyler is going to act when he wakes up."

Caleb nodded and went towards Chase as Pouge watched Tyler. "Where did Tyler take you after he knocked you out?" Caleb asked, moving Dustin around.

"In the basement. Reid was down there too."

"Was he awake?"

"Yeah, but he's not doing so well. Almost seems like he has a fever or something."

"Shit. Have you seen Dustin at all?"

Pouge turned towards Caleb, remembering about the boy. "Ah, no, I haven't. I completely forgot about him after you knocked him out."

Caleb nodded. "I know. Chase mentioned something about Tyler healing him after he dropped you off and for Dustin to head towards the house when he woke up."

Pouge nodded, Tyler beginning to raise off of the ground as the power began its conclusion. Tyler now was panting, his face holding relief and pleasure beyond anything imaginable. Pouge prepared himself as Tyler began to land, the power seeming to hold him up until he regained his balance, head bent forward, body relaxed.

He slowly looked up, the smirk on his face something Pouge didn't want to see. "Hello Pouge, Caleb. Glad you were able to watch over me."

"Tyler. What are you thinking?" Pouge asked carefully.

Tyler turned so he was looking at the both of them, still with the smirk. "Nothing much besides how great I feel." He looked around. "The sun is setting into eternal night."

"Tyler," Pouge pressed again. "What are you thinking?"

"Pouge, don't press so much. Might piss someone off. Wouldn't want to do that now, would you?"

"Tyler, we wouldn't want to piss you off. You're on our side, right?" Caleb asked, Chase still unconscious luckily.

"Depends on whose side is stronger, though I think I'll be fine on my own."

_Shit, not how we want this to go. _"Tyler. Caleb, Reid and I are your _Brothers. _We have always been there for you, and now you're ditching on us because you think you're better because you just ascended?"

Fury filled Tyler's face as he disappeared and next thing Pouge knew he was pinned up against a tree by Tyler, a hand entrapping him. "Don't fucking say anything, _Pouge._ I don't remember much, but when I ascended I remember more now of what Chase did to me, and I don't care to go through that again. And I don't care to deal with your shit right now. I'm done being the middle man and holding the group together."

He flung Pouge away from the tree and into another, feeling his body quit moving for a second, though his power was able to save him from hitting too hard. He opened his eyes and saw Caleb grab Tyler with his power and hold him still. He smiled, saying, "Finally, someone who I can keep still for a few seconds without getting hit."

Tyler squirmed as Pouge stood up, gathering his power. "Is it okay if I refresh his memory?"

"Not yet. I think if we do this, we need Reid here as well."

"Which may not happen," Pouge muttered, remembering the broken boy down in the basement still trapped with only god knew what.

Tyler quit squirming and looked at the two of them, eyes black and hateful. "Do you remember anything?" Caleb asked, trying to read Tyler's expression.

"Bits. Nothing worth remembering though."

Caleb shook his head, still holding on tight. "Tyler, we're your Brothers through and through. I will not allow you to be manipulated by Chase, and you are going to come to your senses one way or another. In order to do that though, I would like Reid to be here. Maybe you'll remember what you did to him."

Tyler simply shook his head, though the smirk dropped a little. _Maybe he does remember something, if we pressure him hard enough..._

Pouge looked around, Chase still unconscious surprisingly, his wrist a bluish/green from some fight with Caleb, he guessed. At least the bastard wasn't immortal. That would've made things a tad bit harder.

"Do you want to go back up to the house? I'll carry Chase, and you can grab Tyler. When we get there, I'll grab Reid, and we can have a little sit down discussion and kill this little badass wannabe before it can get bad again," Pouge suggested, Caleb thinking for a second.

"Yeah, lets hurry though. Chase I don't think will stay down much longer."

Caleb grabbed Tyler and dragged him towards the house, while Pouge grabbed Chase and threw him over his shoulder, though head towards his chest so Pouge could keep an eye on whether he woke up or not. He quickly caught up with Tyler and Caleb, and within a few minutes they were back at the house. Problem was, it wasn't what they expected. Reid was lying unconscious on the ground, hands and face bloody. Pouge dropped Chase on the ground hard and ran towards Reid, wondering what had happened. As soon as he came up to the blonde though, he saw Dustin come out of the shadows and go towards Reid, a long knife in his hand.

"Hey Pouge, how are you feeling?" he asked, walking smoothly towards Reid, unafraid.

"What did you do to him?" he asked, Dustin grabbing Reid and pulling him up as a shield.

"I showed him who's stronger. Guess he didn't get the memo about being able to bring a knife. Oh well, he'll learn next time."

He watched Caleb and Pouge, Tyler just standing there, bored. Pouge didn't like the situation that was going on, and as he checked to see if Chase was still lying unconscious, he groaned as he saw that Chase was gone as well. Dustin began to laugh, still holding up the bloodied and unconscious Reid. "Yes Pouge, Caleb, hell is going to break out right about now."

Chase came down slowly next to Dustin, and Pouge didn't get how he had gotten away without them hearing him. "Talent, my Brother, talent. I see your confusion, and I have more skill than you believe I do." He smiled, and pointed his finger at Tyler, beckoning Tyler towards him. "Come here, Tyler, my pet. I would like you by my side."

Tyler closed his eyes and began to shake, trying to resist Chase. Pouge smiled inwardly. At least he wasn't completely devoted to Chase anymore. They might have a chance with this. "Tyler!" Chase yelled, Caleb tightening his grip on Tyler's arms.

"No! Tyler, don't give in. You're on our side, and even if you don't believe you are, please don't go help him."

Tyler looked at Chase and Pouge could see the resistance failing. "He's gonna do something," Pouge said, Caleb tightening his grip even more.

"Don't make me restrain you by my power," Caleb said, causing Chase to begin laughing.

"Seriously Caleb? I'm pretty sure I'd be able to undo whatever knot you put on him with a flick of my power. Please, don't make me laugh."

Caleb was then shoved back and his grip loosened. Pouge grabbed his power completely and shot a blast at Tyler, hitting him in the side. Chase reacted and shot at Caleb, Pouge turning towards Chase and shooting at him. He barely blocked it as Dustin jumped to the side, coming back and grabbing Reid as a hostage. Pouge about shot at Dustin, but Tyler caught him in the side, Pouge catching himself before he fell.

He caught his breath and watched Tyler and Chase go after Caleb. _We need Reid. Fuck. Dustin, sorry "pal"..._

He gave a quick look to Caleb, who managed a quick nod, before having to turn even more defensive. _This better be quick. Caleb doesn't have that long. _He quickly ran towards Dustin, who seemed to begin panicking. He held his knife steadily though, which Pouge made sure to keep an eye on. He went towards Dustin, the power in his fist as he jumped up and punched the ground, the wave spreading out towards Dustin and catching his feet and traveling up his legs. Pouge grinned, wondering _why didn't we ever think of this? _Dustin fell, dropping Reid onto the ground. He also dropped the knife, which Pouge quickly grabbed, keeping a hold on it. They might need it when killing Chase.

Dustin stood back up, though he was very shaky and breathing hard. "Give it up Dustin. You're just a human. You're going to lose."

Dustin shook his head, but Pouge just shot a blast of power at him and knocked him back into the wall. He ran to Reid and put all of his healing power into him that he could, hearing Tyler and Caleb yell behind him. He looked behind him, almost jumping and dropping his power when he saw Chase floating behind him, arms crossed, the worn out smirk on his face.

"What have we here?" he simply asked, dropping down to the ground. "Is this an act of cheating?"

Pouge wasn't sure if Chase knew he had the knife, but he kept it hidden anyway along the length of his leg. If Chase didn't move soon, he would make him. "What's wrong with bringing in another helping hand Chase? You never know how long he's going to last."

"But he's help." He sent a blast at Pouge. Pouge barely blocked it, falling on top of Reid for a quick second. He had managed to keep the knife next to him by curling over it when Chase shot at him, and grabbed it with his right hand as he brought his left hand up and shot a blast of his power at Chase.

He looked at Reid for a second, then lunged at Chase, barely missing him in the side. He looked into Chase's eyes and saw fear there for a moment. "Oh ho ho ho... You want to play this game, eh?"

Pouge stood his ground, holding the knife in his dominant hand and watching Chase. "Don't make me, Chase."

Chase smiled. "Heal the young one, I suppose. He's not going to last very long anyways."

He shot at Pouge, Pouge blocking it, but still fell down from the force. He watched Chase leave, and turned back to Reid. He didn't think it was possible, but he was feeling his power wear him down. "Come on Reid," he muttered, keeping the knife close to him once more. He Used on Reid again, hoping the blonde would wake up. At least he wouldn't be feeling a lot of pain...

Soon, luckily, he was able to get Reid's eyes open. The blonde moaned, Pouge continuing to heal him, until Pouge felt that Reid's body wouldn't accept anymore. He put his hands down, and watched his younger Brother. He could tell that Reid wanted to sleep, but his body was coursing with the power, so he was going to be awake for awhile. "Feeling okay?"

Reid began to sit up, holding his head. "I think so... What's going on?"

"It's you, me, and Caleb against Chase and Tyler. We're going to need your help, especially since Caleb is wearing down. Come on, we have to hurry."

He helped Reid stand, but the blonde was still a little unsteady. "Can you grab your powers?"

Reid seemed to focus on the ground, but soon his eyes turned black. "Yeah, I think I can hold onto them, too..."

"Good. Now, let's hurry. I don't want to imagine what Tyler and Chase have done to Caleb."

Reid nodded slowly, and then followed Pouge to where the battle was supposed to be.

_Good, Reid's awake. Hopefully he's able to make it through this... I have faith in his body now, but not so much on his mind... It'll work. It has to._

* * *

Hehe, hey everyone!! I'm alive!! :P So yeah, here this is, and it sounds fairly good, i like it... It's all actiony, and i'm all blah right now... (lack of sleep, lack of energy, working out and stuff...it's all fun) and yeah, soo... here's chapter 20, woot woot, and sadly, it's really late...like two weeks...grrrr... but whatever... So yep, college is fun, and i'm attempting on writing more chapters... Next chapter is going to be reid's pov, i can already tell you that :D so yea... thanks to those who replied, and i hope you enjoy this!! Until next time... :)

oh and i'll try to stop with the song title chapters...hehe. they just happen to come across...and i'm gonna have a covenant video out sometime...part of the reason this is so late, but whatever... it's gonna be cool i hope. I already have one out to Falling Down by Atreyu... :)


	21. Fears Found, Agenda Annihilated

Previously Chapter 20:

* * *

Soon, luckily, he was able to get Reid's eyes open. The blonde moaned, Pouge continuing to heal him, until Pouge felt that Reid's body wouldn't accept anymore. He put his hands down, and watched his younger Brother. He could tell that Reid wanted to sleep, but his body was coursing with the power, so he was going to be awake for awhile. "Feeling okay?"

Reid began to sit up, holding his head. "I think so... What's going on?"

"It's you, me, and Caleb against Chase and Tyler. We're going to need your help, especially since Caleb is wearing down. Come on, we have to hurry."

He helped Reid stand, but the blonde was still a little unsteady. "Can you grab your powers?"

Reid seemed to focus on the ground, but soon his eyes turned black. "Yeah, I think I can hold onto them too..."

"Good. Now, let's hurry. I don't want to imagine what Tyler and Chase have done to Caleb."

Reid nodded slowly, and then followed Pouge to where the battle was supposed to be.

* * *

**/21\**

Reid looked around, following Pouge. He was lost on everything that had happened, and wanted to be filled in, but kept his mouth shut. He heard someone yell and knew it was Caleb. It was two against one. It had to be him...

Pouge led him into a clearing and shot at Tyler, Reid wincing. They were to never hurt each other with the powers...but this must be a special occasion... He took in a breath and shot at Chase, anger on the rise, along with his fear. He felt rejuvenated, but his mind was having a hard time keeping the scene together. He saw Pouge turn to Caleb and heal him the best he could in the few seconds Reid had gained. Reid turned towards Tyler as Chase turned towards him, and at the same time they shot. Reid wasn't able to deflect the blow, and was hit in the left shoulder. Tyler though had been paying more attention on Pouge and Caleb, and was hit in the stomach.

Reid closed his eyes, holding in a yell as his breathing increased and his world turned white. There was too much pain to tell whether or not Chase had reinjured his shoulder. It had...sort of...began to heal, but this had to tear it back to how it was, if not worse. He opened his eyes, vision blurry from unwanted tears, and saw Chase blasted away from him, courtesy of Caleb. Pouge jumped back in as well, and the battle continued on. Pouge and Caleb teamed up against Chase, while Reid took on Tyler.

Tyler only smirked, coming closer to Reid. "Hey _Brother, _I see you're awake."

Reid glared at him, attempting to hide his fear. "You're going down Tyler," he said, throwing a blast, Tyler simply knocking it away.

"The color of blood really suits you well," he simply said, smiling. Reid stumbled back, images of his uncle coming back into his mind. "How does it feel to be the youngest and the weakest? I can take you away from all of this easily, you know."

Reid shot at him again, able to put a little more force behind it. Tyler seemed affected a little bit, but it still wasn't enough. "Do you like feeling the torment? Do you like people bringing you down? Are you realizing what you do to other people can ever come back onto you?"

Reid felt his heart began to race, but couldn't let it get to him. "I don't know what you're talking about Tyler. I never beat down people like you are doing right now."

He smirked, putting his hands together, Reid seeing him gather his power. "I suppose one such as you wouldn't see it. But I guess all that really matters at this point in time is your death."

He shot his blast at Reid, causing him to put up his strongest defense. "No!" he yelled, feeling his defenses rip and the remainder of the power crash through him. He fell back onto his back, breathing hard. Tyler walked over to him, still smiling.

"Why must you be so weak?" he asked, bringing his hands together, forming another blast.

"Tyler!" Reid knew this was his last chance. "Do you even remember anything? I thought I was your best friend, and then you went and knocked me out. You're trying to kill your _Brothers._ We've always been there for you, and you go and turn on us! Don't you remember anything?"

Tyler paused, his power dissipating. He looked at Reid, and it seemed as if his real mind was trying to push through. "Why should I compare my version of what's right to yours though? In the end, we all come to the same finish line."

Reid shook his head, now worried as Tyler regained his power. He barely put up a shield in time, and even then once more Tyler's power broke through and hit Reid in the chest. He yelled, his vision darkening for a moment. He felt his breath leave him and didn't know how to regain it. He felt his body convulse as he was hit again, only this time he couldn't yell. His back arched, and his vision went black. His muscles locked and he just kind of fell onto his side, unable to concentrate on anything.

"H-help," he gasped out, knowing that his Brother's weren't going to come for him. That's how his luck ended up. He felt another blow, only this time it felt physical. As he was kicked though, his eyesight and hearing returned, and he was able to move a little more and protect himself as Tyler was kicking him across the arms, chest, and stomach. He barely grabbed his power and aimed it towards Tyler's foot, knowing he was going to hit himself as well. He aimed as Tyler kicked him, almost lost it, and aimed again as Tyler's foot approached. He shot, and hit his target. As he expected, Tyler's foot nailed into his leg, as did the remainder of his power.

He felt his femur break, and failed at trying to hold in his scream. He gasped in between breaths, trying to see where Tyler was. The other boy was on the ground, holding the area around his ankle. If Reid's plan had worked, he damaged the foot greatly, as in broke as many bones as possible. In the end, it would be worth it, as long as they were able to save the old Tyler. Reid sat up and quickly looked for Pouge and Caleb, soon finding them beating Chase for once. He smiled, for once. Chase finally seemed to be wearing out and losing.

He turned back towards Tyler and shot another blast of his powers at the teen's shoulder, trying to get him on the ground. He managed to get himself off of the ground and limped the three steps over before collapsing onto the ground, moving his leg in a direction it wasn't supposed to go.

He moved in front of Tyler, breathing quickly, managing to get out, "You are going down Tyler. Why can't you just believe in yourself and remember? Look at what you've done to us, to _me. _I was supposed to be your best friend Ty, and look at what happened to all of us. We're fighting each other, trying to bring the other one down. Please Ty, just remember. I know it's in the back of your mind somewhere, underneath all of the pain. Trust me, you can find it."

Reid watched Tyler shake his head, more so in a fashion that made him look guilty. "I don't want to, I don't want to..."

"Trust me, there are a lot of things we don't want to remember, but we have to. I have to remember things that I would rather not, and they can make this experience look like a spanking. Believe in yourself Tyler and you'll be with us again."

"_NO!!" _they heard, both looking over at Chase, who was glaring at Tyler and Reid. "He will not remember! He mustn't!"

Reid looked at Caleb and Pouge, and saw them form a ball and throw it at Chase together. Chase yelled and fell to the ground, his body undergoing spasms from amount of power he had been controlling. Reid saw Pouge hand something off to Caleb, Caleb only nodding and landing on the ground as well.

"Is there anything else you would like to say Chase? You are not about to escape this time like you have before. You may be our Brother by power, but not by law of the Covenant. Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Reid saw that Chase began to hyperventilate as Caleb held a large knife over his heart. _No, he can't kill him! Caleb can't have a death on his hands! He's our leader! _"Caleb!" he yelled, beginning to lose his own breath. "What are you doing? You can't kill him!"

"I have to Reid. I'm sorry, but he has committed how many murders over the span of his life? In the amount of time that he has _been here?_" Caleb turned back to Chase and simply nodded. "It's either this, or will your powers to another member."

"Never!" Chase yelled, Caleb nodding once more and moving the knife into his chest. Reid watched his face more so than Chase's, and wondered how he could keep emotion of it. He...he had the same expression as his uncle did when he came to teach Reid a lesson. He had the same calm features, with the blue wintery eyes. He had the strength and the will to kill another human being, take their life away and separate them from the ways of the living.

He could vaguely hear Chase screaming in the background, and barely comprehended Tyler falling onto his side and curling up into a little ball, and gripping his head while screaming himself. He saw Pouge moving in the background, but his brain couldn't function fast enough. He slowly saw the blood seep out onto Chase's jacket, Caleb's skin already turning colors. He could always wash off the color, but the smell would stay much longer, Reid knew. It always did.

He saw Chase's body relax, the life fully leaving him with the last pump of his heart. Reid could almost see it in a play by play view. It made him sick. He wanted to move, to run away and hide under a rock, to leave his Brother's and his family behind. He didn't know why, but this simple act of violence, of protection, brought back a lot of his memories from his early teenage years he thought he lost. That had been his goal, over the years, to forget about everything that had happened, but like the blood seeping out of the wound, his memories began leaking out of the book he had thought he threw away.

He saw Caleb slowly pull the knife out, blood splatters falling back onto Chase and himself. Reid still couldn't move. Time had slowed and his body refused to listen to him. He saw Caleb drop the knife, but didn't hear anything. He saw the knife bounce on the ground, saw the drops fly up and off of it, falling slowly in perfect little spheres, but didn't hear the deafening clatter as it hit the dirt and rocks. Then, his mind could function. Not very well, but it began to process the words "Move. Get out. Run."

And he did. Not very successfully due to his broken leg, but he was determined to run and hide. He had to. How else was he supposed to get over something such as this?

He almost fell more than once, but his mind's persuasion and the double-dose of necessary adrenaline and pain killers that his mind provided, he ran the best that he was able to, his leg beginning to go numb rather quickly with what he soon realized was pain. When his body comprehended the broken bone and screaming nerves, he fell onto the ground, unable to yell with how out of breath he was. He attempted to roll over, but the dirt stayed on his face. He couldn't tell why it wasn't coming off. Was he crying? He didn't think so. Was there a puddle? No, he didn't remember one. Was it raining? No, but it should've been.

He opened his eyes a little and found that he _was_ crying, and that someone was near him. He couldn't tell who though; the pain was becoming too overpowering. Someone touched his shoulder, and he thought asked, "Where are you hurt?"

He shook his head, trying to calm down, but the pain never left. Gentle hands quickly searched over his body, noting the scream he gave when they touched his leg and shoulder. He wanted it to go away. He needed to be on his own and away from society.

"We need to get him straightened out so we can at least correct his leg," someone said, Reid shaking his head.

"Don't touch me! Its fine, I, I swear. Just, just don't touch me!"

"We have to Reid. It'll help the doctors and you, and the pain will go away sooner. How you have your leg bent... It wouldn't surprise me if you ended up needing some surgery to correctly place it back together. Please, Reid, allow us to do this. It'll be for the best."

"No!" he yelled as they rolled him onto his back, his tears stopping for the time being.

"Ready..." he heard, Reid's heart pounding and his breath quickening. "One, two, three!"

He twisted his upper body to the right, as whoever twisted his left leg to however it was supposed to be. The tears didn't come back, but he began to hyperventilate and couldn't stop. Luckily the blackness that he was always welcomed to began its descent upon him.

XXX——X——XXX

He remembered bits and pieces of what happened after his leg had been "corrected." He remembered the voices and the quick words. He thought Tyler helped out as well, though he couldn't see what was going on. And he had lost sight of Tyler after he got up and ran. Who knew whose side he was on now. Maybe Caleb knocked him out to deal with later...

He grunted, feeling a shift in his body position. He was so disoriented...

"A few more minutes and we'll be at the hospital Reid. Just hold on."

"No...more... Go away..."

He didn't have the concentration or will power to fight though. He felt his strength leave and he passed out again as the pain in his leg became more noticeable.

XXX——X——XXX

"Mr. Danvers, I'm not quite sure why you allow your friends to do stupid stunts such as jumping off of a porch onto a trampoline, but you are quite lucky that he ended up the way he did. A few of his bruises and injuries confuse me as to where they came from, but maybe you know?"

Reid struggled to open his eyes. He couldn't move though from whatever drug they had placed him under. He heard Caleb reply with, "Sir, you know us. We've been on so many adventures through these woods, been in so many fights that it's hard to remember what came from where."

There was a thoughtful "Mmmhmmm..." and then silence. Reid wanted to wake up and look at Caleb and see why he was here. Shouldn't his own parents be here, being, well, parents? And Caleb should be with Pouge, trying to get Tyler back on their side, unless he went psycho as well and Caleb had to kill him off...

_No, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have happened. It's Tyler; he's easy enough to pull around... Only Chase would be able to corrupt someone as easily as he did Tyler... _Reid mentally shook his head, confusing himself. Whatever they put him on was stronger than he normally received. Maybe while he was here they could fix up his shoulder... That would be the best of all.

"Well, I must go check on my other patients and I'll allow you to stay here with your friend for the time being. He should be waking up anytime now."

"Thank you, doctor."

Reid heard the door open and shut, and found whatever strength he had to turn his head and open his eyes, even a crack. Everything was blurry beyond recognizable, which caused him to shut his eyes and manage a groan. He heard shuffling besides him, and wanted to know what was going on. "Caleb?" he managed, voice fading out in the middle.

"It's fine Reid. Don't bother speaking. Tyler is in a room nearby, doing fine. When you ah, broke his ankle and foot, he seemed to come around, especially before and after you attempted to run off. As I thought, you had more of an effect on him than Pouge or I did. You only had to speak a few words to him, and when he had lowered his shields enough, we were able to get him down and get his head straight. He's very silent right now with guilt, but Pouge's keeping an eye on him."

Reid made a noise. He wanted Caleb to go away. It had only been a few minutes but the brunette was already getting on his nerves. "Other than that...you might be healed up fairly quick... But after all of that, I couldn't think of your body not wanting a few days to rest from the use of power."

Reid nodded. Caleb was rambling. Apparently something was wrong. Reid decided he wanted the dosage of the medicine upped so he could ignore all of this and rest. Sleep sounded highly amusing... Even though he was in a hospital, he'd rather stay here than figure out what Caleb was trying to get at. He wanted to speak but his throat felt a little constricted. He settled with a mangled grunting sound.

Caleb sighed and said, "Sorry. I was just thinking of what the doctor said about your other injuries that I had to cover up for. Are you ready to tell the story, or will we have to go to your family?"

_Oh, he's a fucking bastard... I will get payback for that... _

"Fkoff..." he mumbled. "Mmbe."

"Okay. Pouge's ready for it, and Tyler...will need his space. I figure if we give him time though—"

Reid didn't care. He interrupted Caleb this time, surprised at himself even when he managed to yell "Shut up!" He gathered his breath, and managed to say, "Leave him alone." A long deep breath. "You're rambling, you're scared, and you're not yourself. You're not our leader right now. You're being a wuss."

Caleb sighed again. "Sorry. The past two days have been more difficult than I had imagined. Only Pouge has been able to help me out while we were waiting for you wake up and for Tyler to speak or look at us. He's been a lot harder to take care of. But, he knows suicide is basically a sin in our families..."

"What?" Reid breathed out, mentally groaning. He knew something like this was going to happen. He needed to see his Brother and reassure him everything was going to be alright. After all, Caleb said it himself. Tyler did seem to trust Reid a little bit more than the rest of them.

"Yeah... It's kind of upsetting. You were worse though than we imagined. We only thought your leg had been the worst injury, but your brain had been pushed too far. Tyler gave you a mild concussion, and I guess you were supposed to be dead by the time I came and found you. I healed part of it though, and when Pouge found you, it had become worse, and he only healed most of it since he deals with more physical than mental. I thought you were going to die on the way here... I don't know if you remember, but you were rambling, and kept hitting your head to the point where Pouge had to restrain your hands. Then you began screaming about your head hurting.

"The doctor's found the concussion fairly quickly, but they couldn't seem to gather why there was blood and no mark on your head. I covered that as well, but they gave you some medicine that calmed you down, and they reset your leg to how it's supposed to be. You'll heal fine, except they are worried about your shoulders and a lot of the scars you seem to have that I can barely explain. The doctor's are smart, and will ask questions. We are polite, and will wait, though I will say we have waited far longer than we had hoped."

Reid nodded, hoping Caleb was done with his speech. "So?" was all Caleb said next.

"Fkoff." Reid repeated, beginning to fall asleep again. He was done listening Caleb, and would explain when he felt like it. Caleb knew the details, more than he wished for him to know, but there was nothing he could do about that. He'd be lucky if Caleb didn't tell the Brother's anything. Of course, there probably hadn't been any time to say anything, which he didn't have a problem with.

He felt the remainder of the medicine beginning to kick in again and felt himself slip off once more, thankfully.

XXX——X——XXX

He was strapped onto a chair, not wanting to open his eyes. He knew what awaited him across the room. He attempted to keep his breathing calm, but he didn't know how long he could hold this pace up. At one point or another he was going to start freaking out. He heard a shuffle across the floor and flinched, feeling his heart begin its race. He squinted out of his eyes, and saw his uncle's feet a few feet away. He snapped his eyes shut, and heard the soft chuckle before the footsteps came over.

"Air, what are you worried about now?" he was asked, Reid ensuring that his eyes were closed. He was old enough to fight back now, but he still felt three years younger. "Everything will be okay very soon. Don't worry."

That was the last thing he wanted to hear. _Don't worry...ha. I don't have to worry about my death? That sounds appropriate..._

He heard his uncle begin walking around him, and he still kept his eyes shut. If he opened them, that would be admitting once more that there was no escape, and he was trapped in this basement for the rest of the summer. He supposed he could try to use his powers to get out, but his uncle was fast and strong, and Reid was only sixteen; he didn't think he was strong enough to escape.

"What shall we do this time? You have been keeping up with your lessons, which is excellent and better than expected, though you are sort of a nuisance." Reid held his breath, feeling his uncle breathe on the side of his neck, coming close to his ear. "But that doesn't bother me in the way you hope it does. It goes _much_ further down."

He laughed, Reid's breathing finally increasing. "Do I scare you?"

Reid kept his mouth shut, knowing that whatever he said could be twisted into his uncle's own pleasure. He heard his uncle laugh, next saying, "I figured you would keep your mouth shut. You should learn to not be so disrespectful and to answer when adults are speaking to you."

He felt his uncle's fist across his mouth, and he let out a grunt of pain. "So, Air, do I scare you?"

Reid chose to keep his mouth shut, only causing him to get him once more. He could feel his lip split and his jaw bruise. He went to shut off his mind, but didn't get there fast enough to not feel the next few blows.

He finally went into the hiding spot in his mind, huddling. He had gotten quite good at running from his uncle's abuse. It did have its drawbacks though. Whenever he came out of hiding, he would feel the pain almost twice as bad. But, whatever spared him from the wrath of his uncle at that moment. He could escape the pain, escape from the questions, and most importantly, escape from his lust filled eyes.

Reid let his mind drift, occasionally wondering how numb his body was, and what his uncle was or surprisingly was not doing to it. He would know when to come out though; he always did. His uncle always had a way of showing that he was done.

Reid felt the pull back to his body, and wondered what was wrong. He hadn't ever felt a pull that was this strong and it didn't have his uncle's touch to it. Was it his power pulling him out? If so, why? Reid knew the answer would appear soon as he entered the physical of his body, yelling. _What the hell did he beat me with?_ His mind screamed, feeling whiplash after whiplash, every exposed nerve, and the blood that was cooling on his skin. He thought a few bones might have been fractured and he prayed that they weren't. He _really_ didn't want to explain that to his parents and friends.

He felt something splash across him, burning anything that was open to the air. His yells turned into tormented screams, and he felt himself beginning to black out. "I see you finally came back," a voice said to him, rumbling with hidden excitement. "I guess I figured out the trick to make you come back. You're a fun one, Air."

Reid rolled his head, unable to open his eyes. His jaw felt swollen, along with his eyes, his arms and legs were limp, and he couldn't feel the majority of his chest. "But," he heard, "you seem to be suffering just fine. Now that I know the trick to call you back, don't bother trying to run away to wherever it is in your mind. I'll be back in the morning."

Reid felt his uncle hit him in the chest, square on, and felt his lungs release all of the air. He began choking, and couldn't take another breath. He heard his uncle laughing as he left as Reid struggled. Finally, after gagging and wheezing, he was able to get a full breath in, and that brought an even stronger round of coughs.

Finally, he was able to calm down, and could feel the tears sliding down his face that he reluctantly let loose. He laid his head on the back of the chair, wondering what had gone wrong. _He figured out how to get me out of my own mind? What did he do? I know before it was always that stupid kiss he'd give to me; that seemed to work. But he found something more effective? How? How?!_

He began panicking, and couldn't calm down. He began to hyperventilate, unknowing why this fear would know show itself now. He's always had it, but very rarely did it cause him panic attacks. He just sat there, hyperventilating, wondering when he would ever get better and be allowed to rest. Probably never, but he could dream, couldn't he?

_Uncle would probably take that away from me too, if he could. If he could...he'd do far worse. I don't know what's holding him back. It can't possibly be my dad or friends. Maybe it's the fear that he'd kill me?_

That didn't help Reid calm down at all. He felt the tears flow again as he tried whatever he could to calm himself down. Only, this time it wasn't working, and he didn't know what would.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid woke up, hearing a clunk and looking around almost hysterically. He saw his IV, seeing the little bag swaying back and forth. _Whoops..._ he managed to think, grasping that he was still in the hospital and that no one was there around him. He dropped back down onto his pillows, moaning.

_Great. I'm still having the nightmares. Chase is...dead, Tyler I believe is back with us, and I'm stuck here in the hospital still fearing my uncle. Everything is back to normal. _He opened his eyes once more and looked around, wondering how hurt he had been, and still was. He remembered Pouge healing him a lot, and wondered how everyone was doing. He seemed to be the one who was always in the hospital for one reason or another, and the one who everyone had to look over.

The memory of Tyler though throwing him into the metal racks crossed him mind, causing him to shudder. A voice in his head asked, _are you always thrown into the hospital for a reason though? You don't do everything to yourself; part of it is because of other people as well. _

_It feels like I do everything to myself though._

He closed his eyes, wanting to move around and get the hell out of here. He had been in here too many times, and he was sure his parents were going to be really pissy when they came to get him. He'd be lucky if they even let him go back to the school. _Maybe though...I don't remember what dad said about Chase... We all thought that he was dead, but it was kind of obvious he wasn't. Maybe they won't mind as much this time..._

He close his eyes, sighing. It was going to be a _long_ night if the nightmares had come back again. He blamed the battle though. He had been getting over them, sort of, and now because of Caleb killing Chase, and everything else, they were going to progressively get worse. Again.

* * *

Hey everyone!! Sorry, this came out waaaay later than i wanted...on account i've been done with it for a week or so... my bad. So yeah, here's chapter 21, and i hope you guys enjoy it. I think there's going to be two, maybe three more chapters left to this story, but i'm thinking about two. So yeah, thanks to all of you who still have faith in me and have continuously reviewed and commented, and gave me ideas of what to do for the next chapter. :) you are seriously the best. So yeah, i'm gonna go off and right the next chapter i think, cus i'm _really_ not in the mood to deal with my spaztic roommates... i have a lot on my mind, and i'm really not in the mood to fucking deal with anyone, unless it's three specific people...yeah. So. I'll reply to reviews once more, and thanks again!! :D


	22. Brothers

**[22]**

"What are we going to do with them? They both aren't getting any better, and it's been a week. They're supposed to be released tomorrow, but neither of them are handling anything all that well."

Reid mentally sighed, and struggled to wake up from the drugs. He hated it when Caleb and Pouge were in his room talking about him. They especially had a habit of doing it when the drugs were wearing off. Pity his safe haven was only temporary.

"I'm right here, dumbasses," he muttered, hearing Pouge's sigh.

"You aren't supposed to be awake," Pouge said in defense.

"Then go fucking talk somewhere else. I don't need a babysitter."

"You do when your nightmares occur," Caleb said, Reid's consideration of opening his eyes disappearing.

"That's none of your business." _Of course they have to go into that subject. They want the fucking information out of me, and the best way to get it is to constantly harass me. Fun. Not._ "Now go away. I can take care of myself, and I'm aware that I'm being released tomorrow. Now, go!"

He didn't care if he was being snobby, but it got the two to leave. His parents were coming in to take him home for a few days to "calm down from the excitement," though he didn't know what the excitement had been, or why Tyler was still there as well.

He kept his eyes closed, sighing. He wanted to be away from everything, but then again, he didn't really want to go back to his house, back to his room. He still hadn't gotten over everything yet, and he figured his room would only be a torture cell his parents would insist that he stayed in to rest. No car for him for the next few days...

Generally they were pretty relaxed about what he went out and did, but when it came to him being injured, his parents were pretty intent about him staying at home and not leaving for anything. But, whenever his parents had come in to see him, they were more forceful than the doctors in telling him he was going to stay home and relax.

He sighed again, the last week a haze. He had been kept under the drugs to his enjoyment, but he wasn't quite sure why. Generally he should've been kept under observation for at least twenty-four hours, and then be booted out with an outrageous doctor's bill. But, they had kept him for a week, and they didn't explain why. He broke his leg, and his concussion was mostly gone. Maybe it was where the concussion had been on his brain, and they wanted to make sure he didn't have any freak out attacks again... Caleb had said he scared them pretty bad...

But Tyler... What was wrong with him? He had a broken foot, but he had been acting strange, according to the doctor's. He was silent, and had constant dreams that often sent him into fits. Caleb said Tyler was still reacting badly, and was now barely looking at them and speaking, which was an improvement. And, Reid hadn't been able to see Tyler, which he thought was bullshit.

He felt himself slip off again, wondering when his parents were going to come pick him up so he could leave one hellhole and move into the other.

XXX——X——XXX

"Reid, come here..." someone called in a singsong voice.

He ran through the trees, out of breath. He was becoming clumsy and began stepping on twigs and leaves, alerting the person of where he was. He needed to take the break, but then they would catch up and do whatever to him...

He tripped, caught his balance, only to trip over a rock and fall onto his side. He tried to catch his breath and move, but his body refused to listen. _No, no, I have to keep running, I have to. _He managed to open his eyes and look around, not hearing his pursuer. Where had he disappeared to?

As Reid's head fell back onto the ground though, he saw his pursuer and scrambled up, fear fueling him now. He saw Caleb walk closer, the bloody knife in his head. "Reid, why do you keep running?"

Reid walked backwards carefully, glancing back occasionally to make sure he wasn't going to hit anything.

"Oh, come on. Why don't you believe I'm not going to hurt you? I'm your friend, aren't I?"

"Go away," he said, panicking still. Where was Caleb going with this?

"But Reid, I'm just here to see what's wrong. Pouge and Tyler are worried about you. Can't you come back to us?"

"Go away! You're not the real Caleb!" he shouted, preparing himself to turn around and run.

Caleb caught him off guard though. One second he was about to make sure he wasn't going to run into anything, and the next he was up against a tree, the bloody knife across his throat, Caleb's eyes fierce. "Reid, come back with us."

Reid felt his breath catch and he tried not to stare at the wintery blues. "Reid?" Caleb asked, more in a taunting voice.

"Yes?"

"We're your friends, aren't we?"

"Yes..."

"So you should trust us, right?"

"Yes..."

"Then why won't you come with me? Pouge and I have been very worried about you."

"You're not the real Caleb though."

"Oh really?" The imposter smiled, moving his hand sliding quickly across his throat, Reid barely feeling the knife. He felt the blood and then the sting, his mind filling in the blanks quickly. When Caleb was finished, he still held Reid up, continuing to smile.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid woke up, grabbing at his throat to make sure it was okay. He sat up, panting, and looked around to see if anyone was around him. He was safe. He looked at the heart monitor thing and saw it beeping out of control, but as soon as he calmed his breathing it began to slow. The last thing he needed was the nurses threatening to bring in a psychiatrist to analyze his dreams.

He laid back down and looked at a clock across the room, and saw it was four in the morning. Only six more hours until he'd be back at his house, in his room, under the covers of his bed, with no medicines... _Damn. This is going to suck. It's sort of annoying how our bodies can only take so much power to heal before they quit accepting and we're left on our own... Pouge and Caleb should've just let me die. _

He closed his eyes, and was halfway tempted to get up and go find Tyler's room. He knew it was close by, but that was it. _Nah... As tempting as it is, I highly doubt I'm going to be able to make it to his room. They still haven't given me my crutches to keep, and I really don't feel like hopping. _

He drifted off to sleep, and he was quite content with the fact that he didn't have any dreams when he awoke next due to the nurses coming in and checking his health once more. "That's really quite unnecessary," he commented, as he felt the nurse do a quick little check up.

"If you're being released, I believe it is quite necessary. We have to make sure nothing is wrong with you."

Reid rolled his eyes and waited for her to finish, and saw her move towards the IV in his arm. "I'm finally getting that thing out?"

"Yes, now don't move."

He watched her slide the needle out, and sighed. It was about time... He thought they would take it out after the first day, but that had proven him wrong. The doctors had sometime explained why he had to keep it in... Something about helping his body rest the proper amount... She stood up when finished and said, "Your parents should be here shortly. They'll have clothes for you to wear, and then we will get you released." She smiled warmly and left, leaving Reid alone for the time being.

_I'm probably going to have to explain about everything... Unless Caleb already did that... But I still have to explain to Tyler and Pouge about my uncle. Caleb knows, though I don't want him too, and he told me he would respect my wishes and not say anything since it's really not his place. That's probably as nice as he can get towards me..._

There was a knock on the door, interrupting Reid's thoughts. He looked over, and saw his mother entering. He didn't see his father though, which made him surprised and at the same time glad. For some reason, he wasn't ready to see his father, probably because his last reaction in the car.

She walked up to him, smiling, and he saw the nurse standing in the doorway. "Here you go Reid," she simply said, smiling as she handed Reid a pair of clothes. He sat up and pulled the robe off than put on the shirt, then debated what he was going to do with his leg. His mom handed him shorts, and he nodded to her, before standing up with her help and her embarrassingly putting the cargo shorts on him. When he was settled, the nurse handed him the crutches, and he placed them under his arms and followed the nurse out.

His mom checked him out and they went out to the car, Reid already growing irritated with the crutches. "Can I please not use these?" he asked, tossing them into the backseat and hopping into the front seat.

"You have to Reid, for at least four weeks. You had a pretty severe break, and when I asked your father how soon your powers are going to heal it, he said around four weeks instead of the normal six or so. But so suspicion doesn't raise, you just have to follow the doctor's orders."

Reid sighed, already dreading the return home.

XXX——X——XXX

Reid managed to get two days bed rest from his parents, instead of the four plus days they were planning on. The two nights he was there, he had nightmares, but they weren't as severe as he thought they would be. His dad seemed to avoid him, which he was fine with, and when he was finally allowed to go back to school, he was surprised when Tyler came and picked him up, instead of Caleb. He got into the corvette, his crutches fitting into the back with Tyler's, Reid noticing that the boot was back there as well. He looked and saw Tyler's right foot on the gas, wrapped up. When Tyler began driving, curiosity overwhelmed Reid. "Doesn't your foot hurt?"

Tyler shrugged. "They gave me strong meds and I can't just not drive."

Reid nodded, next asking, "So, how are you doing?"

Tyler simply stared straight ahead, causing Reid to think that he wasn't going to answer. Finally he said, "I've been better. How 'bout you? Your leg okay?"

Reid slightly grinned. "I'll do better once I get back to the school. And my leg? I have a cast on again; you know how that is."

Tyler nodded, still staring straight ahead. Reid gave him kudos for being able to drive with his foot. Attempting another spark at conversation, he asked, "Are you going to try to get out of swimming for sure now? You just got your arm cast off, I see, but what about your foot?"

Tyler shrugged. "I went and talked with coach yesterday. I told him that I'd come back when everything was healed, but I didn't know when that would be."

Reid nodded, thinking. "If you got out, then I can probably get out..."

Surprisingly, Tyler gave a chuckle. "Yeah, I think you can get out of swimming now. Just make sure to tell coach _after _practice. That way the team won't hate you anymore than they probably will and won't have to feel coach's wrath."

Reid nodded. "Point. I'll tell him afterwards. I'll have to practice my walking on wet tiles skills. It's been awhile since I've had these damn things."

Tyler chuckled again, and the rest of the drive was in silence. _At least he's getting out of his shell or whatever. I wonder if he's been any better around Caleb and Pouge? Two day's has been a long time and who knows what I've missed. I wonder if I can beat Aaron's ass with my crutches..._

Reid looked up as they pulled into the school parking lot, and noticed that once again he wasn't in his school uniform. _Oh well. At least I have an excuse now. _The two grabbed their crutches and got out, Tyler putting his boot back on. When ready, they went towards the school, Reid waiting for the dean to come and suspend him or send him home for disobeying the school dress code...again. _The school doesn't really have shorts though, so...they're just going to have to get over it._

Reaching the building though, he saw Caleb and Pouge near the front entrance, looking like they had been waiting for them. When they came up, Reid simply nodded and went towards his locker since his first class was on the farthest side of the building. Tyler soon joined him, and Reid simply looked at him, wondering what was up. When ready, they left for their class, Tyler silent the entire time.

XXX——X——XXX

"Reid, wait up," Reid heard, turning around and seeing Caleb walking up.

"Yeah?"

"Can I talk with you really quick?"

Reid looked at his phone for the time before nodding. "I'm meeting up with Tyler in ten minutes so he can take me back to the dorms. I don't have my car yet."

Caleb nodded. "Okay. How's Tyler been around you?"

"Quiet, no worse than usual, besides the depressed look about him."

Caleb nodded. "Has he talked to you about what happened yet or no?"

"Not yet."

Caleb nodded again. "Okay. We're going to have a meeting tonight, now that you are back. Tyler's been here for about three days, but we've been waiting for you. We were thinking after swim practice at my place."

Reid nodded. "I'm coming to the end of practice to talk to coach. I'm done swimming I think for good. Afterwards though, I'll follow behind you guys."

"That works. See you then." Caleb turned and walked away, _probably to go meet up with Sarah, _he thought before turning to go meet up with Tyler.

It was another silent drive to the dorms, Tyler dropping Reid off at the front door. "You got everything okay?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I do. Thanks for the ride, and I'll see you later tonight."

Tyler nodded and drove off after Reid got to the front foor and opened it. The first thing he did was hop towards the front desk to get an elevator card, since it was for people with disabilities only. He's only been able to use it once before, and that was back in freshman year when he broke his ankle. Once in his room he sighed and started his homework, once more behind as hell and only seeing a miracle as pulling him through. But, as far as his teachers knew, he was being stupid so he disserved what he got. Figures...

When his alarm went off to go meet up with Tyler and the guys, he happily tossed his math book to the side and grabbed his crutches, quickly changing his shirt to something a little more decent for the meeting. He left the room, getting on the elevator and enjoying the quick ride down. As he hopped towards his truck in the parking lot, he wondered how he could drive. He could move his leg below his knee, but it was going to be awkward getting in and out, and most likely uncomfortable while sitting.

Reid didn't let the problem get him down as he drove to the pool, wondering how quick he should tell his coach and then leave. Sooner than he thought, he was at the pool, and wriggled his way out of his truck without hurting his leg even more. He hopped into the pool area without slipping, and when he looked at the coach, he knew he didn't have to explain. Without having to move any further, Coach Aaron walked over towards him, or more like stormed, all of the guys watching from the pool.

"Garwin! What is this?"

"I broke my femur."

"How in the hell did you do that?"

Reid shrugged. "It's...an amusing story...except not really."

"Does involve yours and Mr. Simms' adventure of jumping off of a roof onto a trampoline?"

"Yeah..."

"How long until you can come back onto the team?"

"I don't think I'm coming back. I'm sorry coach, but I'm done. My shoulders are messed up, and now my leg is broken, and I have other stuff in my life I have to deal with first, and swimming has only made it worse. If something happens, and I'm able to come back within the next month, before it gets too late in the year, then I'll come back. Until then, I'm sorry, but I quit."

Reid was proud he was able to meet coach Aaron eye to eye the entire time, but he could see the anger rising. He had lost his favorite backstroker, and he now lost favorite breaststroker. "I see. If you choose to come back, you are more than welcomed. You have been a great help to this team, and I hope your future works out."

Reid nodded his thanks than left, deciding to wait for Caleb and Pouge. He didn't know where Tyler was; he had thought he would come back to the dorm and do some homework as well, but he hadn't heard anything from him.

When Caleb and Pouge came out of the lobby, he saw Caleb on the phone. He looked at Pouge, who muttered, "Tyler."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he just went for a drive and Caleb's reminding him of the meeting."

Reid nodded and looked down, thinking of all that Caleb and Pouge had done for them the past week. _I'm just getting that these two saved my life. Now that I can think with the drugs out of my system, I was really harsh towards them, when all they cared about was making sure I lived. Tyler's upset and depressed, and I haven't done anything yet to see what he's thinking. Does Pouge feel like I owe him? What about Caleb? If it weren't for him, I'd be dead right now. So, how big do I owe him?_

"Reid... Reid... Reid, you there?"

Reid looked up from his thoughts, seeing Caleb in front of him. He had reflexively pulled back the most he could, Caleb taking note and stepping back. "Sorry, what?"

"Are you ready to go? Tyler is going to get there around the same time we do, okay?"

Reid nodded, grabbed his crutches, and followed the two out. The drive was silent besides the music on in the background, Reid trying to keep focus on the road in front of him. His thoughts kept slipping towards the meeting and what is was going to be about. Reid was going to have to go over what had happened with his uncle. He didn't know if he could do it. Tyler was probably going to have to go over the Chase thing. What would Caleb go over? What was Pouge going to go over? Or were they going to keep to their pretty little lives and continue to believe that Tyler and Reid were content in their little fucked up lives?

Reid was forced to pull out of his thoughts when he arrived at the Danvers' Mansion, and parked behind Pouge in the driveway. He saw Caleb park behind Tyler, who was waiting next to his car. Reid had to admit, the crutches ruined the depressed look. Once they were all out, they went towards the back of the house together, towards the "basement" and where they had their meetings.

They went down the stone steps, Tyler and Reid with some difficulty, and sat in their normal spots—Caleb nearest to the stairs, than Tyler to his right, Pouge and Reid finishing the circle. Caleb looked around at each of the Brothers and Used, lighting a fire in the middle of the room. He looked at Reid and Tyler, saying, "We all know why we're here. We all have some explaining to do that will hopefully bring us closer as Brothers, and will rid some more evil's that we don't know about. I know Reid has something to tell, as much as he doesn't want to, I have some things to explain, I hope Tyler will speak, as well as Pouge. We all have our problems and our dilemma's, but I have a feeling that it is time for each of us to become the Brother's we are supposed to be. Reid, if you will?"

Reid sighed, looking down. He hadn't wanted to do this at all, or even first really, but he figured that it was finally time.

"As you may have, or may not have noticed, I've been disappearing every summer since I turned thirteen for a month or so. And, every time I come back, I have new stories of what fights I had gotten into or what stupid trick I learned not to do again. But, I never really told you where I went. Just, away at some camp or another, and you guys all went with it, I guess.

"The thing is, my dad is too chickenshit to deal with me. He knows what type of hassle I am, and so he sent me off to his older brother's place, to help me deal with my powers, to learn how to control and use them efficiently without trying to kill myself off in the process."

"Wait, just a second," Pouge said, looking confused. "How does your dad have an older brother? Does he have the powers as well?"

Reid gave a dry laugh. "That's the funny thing. My uncle is about as human as he gets. He's a fucking shithead who deserves to die, basically. But, he's only in the picture because at the time, my dad's parents were trying to have a kid, but it wasn't working, so they adopted. My dad though was an accident and came along, and when he turned thirteen, he couldn't control his powers, and by the time he was fifteen, he was addicted. My uncle helped him out and after awhile, my dad didn't need the power as much to get whatever fill he needed, and so when I turned thirteen, my dad bound my powers so I couldn't Use, and then he sent me off to his brother's house, so _he_ could teach me how to Use correctly, and not at all even.

"It was a rough month, and after that, every year my dad sent me back, only for me to receive the same treatment, if not worse. My power's saved my life more than once, and the only thing he taught me how to do was to not cry and how to get over pain a lot quicker than most people are able to."

Reid had to take a pause. More memories filled his mind, but they weren't as painful as he thought they'd be. They seemed numb, if anything, more because he's already been over them before. There was nothing to surprise him, or take him off guard. He had already been through this once, so what was one or two more times?

"What did he do to you?" Tyler asked silently, Reid giving another dry laugh, only shaky as well this time.

"Well, the question is, what didn't he do to me? He poisoned my food, he's trapped me in a closet numerous times, he's hung me upside down for hours, burned me, cut me, broken numerous bones, starved me, made me try to kill myself, tried to kill me numerous times, fucked up my shoulders, borderline raped me, but if you want to go by technicalities, he has raped me more than once, and the list goes on. The only way I'm alive is by my powers, I'm guessing."

Reid took another breath in and looked around, everyone's face white. Even Caleb didn't know about this part. "What about your spring break then?" Pouge asked, voice rough.

"Oh. Yeah. He came up, which surprised me. The original plan was to have him come up the Monday I came back to school, but he said he wasn't scheduled for work, so he came up on Wednesday. The first night wasn't all that bad, the second night I don't think he did anything, the third night he gathered pleasure with waking me up by smacking a board into the side of my head, the fourth night he made me wish I could kill myself with my power, and the fifth night he allowed me to rest after he tried to rape me. Unless you want to pull the technicalities out."

Reid's voice tightened at the last part, a flash of his uncle's tongue shoving itself into his mouth. He covered his face with his hands, trying the hide the shivers that overcame his body. He was suddenly aware of everyone's eyes on him as he began to choke up. _What are they thinking now? How much of a failure I am? How weak I am? How I deserved every bit of this? Are they surprised at all? Are they in the least bit upset with uncle? Do they wish I never said anything at all? That I mentioned something sooner? What are they thinking? All I am is weak... I can't even get through the whole thing without choking up. _

"Reid," he heard, and thought it was Caleb. "Reid, it's okay, we're not upset with you. If you looked at us, you could see how upset we are with your uncle. The one thing that I've been wondering for a little bit now is, what does your uncle look like?"

"A lot like you," Reid whispered, attempting to keep his voice under control and breathing even. "He's tall, built, winter eyes, brown hair. Only his eyes are hard, yours aren't."

"That's why you freak out sometimes whenever I get to close to you."

Reid gave a slight nod, and still worked on his breathing. He decided he was done; he had told them everything that they needed to know, that they wanted to know, and he didn't want to go on. He'd answer questions, and explain if he had to, but he was done on his own free will. He looked out of the corner of his eye to Pouge, and saw him in deep thought. He looked over to Caleb and saw his eyes dimming from black. _Why is he all upset? He's already heard most of this before..._

"Reid, what would you say to us going and giving your uncle the punishment he deserves?" Caleb asked.

"I get first hit."

A chuckle, then, "That works. I think we all right now want to give your uncle a piece of our minds, and then punish him for deeds such as this. I can't believe how your father could allow this to happen to you, and as head of my family, and of the Covenant, I will have a discussion with him, whether you like it or not. This type of assault is not humane and will not be tolerated. I'm sorry you had to deal with this, and still have to deal through the memories. Hopefully though, with time and acceptance, they will fade and disappear."

Reid nodded, still not removing his hands, especially since tears began to show themselves once more. He was sick of all of this crying though. He was sick of showing signs of weakness and having others care for him. He was old enough, smart enough, mature enough, and strong enough to take care of himself. _If that's supposedly the case, then why can't I take care of myself?_

"Tyler?"

Reid looked up briefly, wondering what Caleb meant. Tyler looked pale as well, and a little bit shaky as he answered. "Yeah?"

"Are you ready to explain about last week?"

Tyler sighed. "I suppose so. I haven't had as much time to dwell over things like Reid did, but I guess I should probably explain for my actions."

Reid watched him, and watched how he was moving. He kept turning his face to the side, like he was forcing himself to speak. Reid wondered how many times Tyler had to convince himself that it was okay to speak. "I...don't' really know how to put it. While I was under Chase's thought process, my whole goal was to kill you guys. When Reid showed up, I was more inclined to get rid of him first, though he found my weak points. When you all killed Chase, I don't really know what happened. I remember Caleb telling me something about being right back, only because of how Reid was acting.

"During the time I was at the hospital, every night another memory of what I did, of what happened to me, came back into my head, and I still don't know how to deal with it. I still get thoughts from Chase's point of view sometimes when I look at you guys. The only cure is my car, or whatever drugs the doctors put me under. And, I know it's worse than a sin to kill myself, but I don't really know how to get my mind straight. Whenever I see you guys, I try to bring myself to mention something, but then my will slips and I clamp my mouth shut.

"I still trust you guys, I just hope that you all trust me. But then again, I don't know how you can trust me when I can barely trust myself."

Reid continued to watch Tyler, and watched him seem to have a mental battle with himself. "Tyler," Caleb asked, "are you going to be okay?"

Tyler gave a jerky nod, and calmed his breathing. In a slightly strangled voice though, he said "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Tyler, I want you to know that we're all here for you," Pouge said. Reid was surprised when it was him who began speaking. "We're your Brothers, and we care for you. I wish you could have opened up a little more, but I can see where you're coming from. We've all had a large impact on our lives, and they've changed a lot within the past couple of days. I'm glad as well that we've come as far as we have, and that we're still alive and together."

Reid looked at Pouge, and then to Tyler, who was nodding. He looked like he was still in thought, but not arguing with himself as much. Reid brought his hands down more fully, only he folded them and set them under his chin. He looked back and forth between Pouge and Caleb, wondering who was going to speak next. He didn't know what problems they had to get over; well, more so he didn't know what Caleb needed to get over. Pouge...he had his guesses.

"Pouge, do you want to speak next?" Caleb began, his hands folded over his knees.

The long-haired brunette shrugged. "Like you, there's not much to say."

"What about Kate?"

"She's doing fine I suppose. I haven't really spoken to her, but she's left me messages."

"What is she asking?"

"To meet up and talk with me about that night."

"And how come you haven't done anything?"

It was Pouge's turn to look away. "I'm afraid of what she's going to ask or say."

"Can you explain further?"

Pouge sighed. "I'm afraid she's going to want to come back, and then turn around and do it again. Granted she was under Chase's spell, but what if that's just an excuse? As far as I know, she hasn't hooked up with anyone yet, but I don't know what the future has to hold, or even give me. I want to talk to her, but I don't know who to trust."

Reid wondered when this had become Dr. Phil. They were all dealing with their problems from family, to mental, to now relationship. What did Caleb have in store? "Is that all?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"What about what you think about Reid and Tyler?"

"What is this Caleb? Family bonding time or something?"

"Even though I highly doubt we're going to go through something like that again, I want us to be strong together, and having doubt in each other is only going to bring us down. You should know this."

Reid saw Pouge glance at him, then sigh. "Fine. I guess you can say I have some trouble with Reid more so than Tyler, but it varies. Reid, a lot of your actions make more sense now. Because of your uncle, I can see how you wanted to basically compensate for what he did to you by getting into fights to maybe even out the pain."

Reid nodded, waiting for him to continue. "But I hate how you were always trying to hook up with every other girl, and being a smartass to anyone who crossed your path. You're a smart kid, and you're abuse that privilege it seems. I can't ask you to be a better guy, but I'm worried about your ways and how it's probably going to come back and bite you in the ass someday."

Pouge seemed finished, Reid nodding. "That's basically all true," he said, his voice a little raspy. "I'm trying to get everything straightened out, but it seems whenever I try, it gets even more fucked up and resort back to my old habits. I'm trying though to be a better person."

Pouge nodded, sighed, and turned back to Tyler. "Tyler, I don't have so much of a problem with you. I respect you in a lot of ways, the main being how you are always trusting us and how you are basically unable to hate anyone. But you are a major follower, and some of your actions do worry me, because I know that if you do something stupid, it's not you in the slightest bit. But you're faithful, which confuses me. I know you have a head on you too, and I wish you could use it to think of yourself a little bit more."

Tyler shrugged, seeming to think. "Yeah, I guess that's true as well. Sorry. I'll work on it," is all he said though, before slipping back into his thoughts.

Caleb looked around, before deciding to speak. "Well, I suppose it's my turn, and I believe that we have much more potential to be closer. I have seen how I have failed as a leader, and I plan to become better. Before, I was more just worried about my life and figuring everything out with my family, but I see that I have ignored many things with everyone else. I often wonder if I had noticed something earlier, if times now would be different. I want to bring our Covenant closer, and I want us to try to get along better. I understand we all have different personalities, and we have different things outside of the Covenant, but I want us to try to get along better with each other, and not have something like this occur again."

Reid nodded, still wondering why this all had to take place. _Were we so messed up that we have to have a little counseling session between each other to figure it all out? We're awesome... If this is what it takes to get us on the same wavelength, then so be it, I guess._

Reid sat up a little more, looking around and seeing everyone in their own thoughts. _I hope this brings us together, at least._

* * *

Hey everyone!!!! It's only been a month and i'm updating!!! Woohoo!!! hehe. But, this is a really long chapter, so i hope it makes up for the delay. So...yeah...hmmm. School's fun and i think i got a job....teehee. I just need to work on doing homework now. Oh well. Here's chapter 22 and i really hope that you enjoyed it. I love everyone who is still reviewing :D and though my replys may be delayed, i will still reply!! I'll try to get better about it... But anywho. There'll still be i think like two more chapters and i'm not quite sure how they're going to be played out...so we shall see. I have some ideas, i just need to get back onto my writing spree, lol. So, thanks again, and i'll be back...eventually!!! hehehe


	23. Two Minds, Only One Person

**[23]**

Tyler looked around the room, his mind arguing with itself again, and he couldn't stand it. But, he couldn't stop. It occurred with every little thought, every little action, and sometimes he became so lost in his own thoughts that he lost sight of everything around him and his day just became a blank spot to add to his memory.

_Don't listen to them speak, they're just trying to bring you down and once more prove how weak you are._

_No they're not; they're my friends, and they only want to help me._

_Keep telling yourself that. "They only want to help me!" Oh quit your whining you big baby. You are the biggest pansy that I have ever met. Why do you think you were able to be controlled so easily? __Because you're a baby, that's why. Just remember what happened, and that'll keep you busy._

_I'm not going to remember. I already know what happened, so why should I remember?_

_Because it helps you drop to your knees faster, crying like the little baby you are._

_Shut up!_

Tyler looked around, trying not to shake his head. It wouldn't help anyway. He could hear the voice snickering in the background, and turned his head to the side, trying to ignore it. When Caleb sat down, he barely heard what he said. He looked up at his name, but it passed. Reid began speaking, and Tyler tried his best to ignore the voice. It worked, especially as Reid began to really tell his story. As much as he hated to, he stared at Reid as he told what his uncle did to him, and how he learned how to handle the pain. And, he was able to keep it to himself for almost five years. And then, he couldn't resist. How horrible could one person get? Well, couldn't get any worse than Chase, but, he had to know.

"What did he do to you?" he asked, and knew it was a mistake as soon as he saw Reid cringe. But he got his answer, and he regretted it. It only made Tyler wonder how he couldn't stand up to Chase. But, what else could he do? He had to give in, just so he could escape the pain. But Reid never gave in. If he did, he had some sort of plan to get himself out or get even. He was skilled. He was what Tyler wanted to be. But, he would have to grow up and deal with what was dished out to him.

_I know I can do get through this... It's just that I've never had to deal with stuff like this. Pouge hasn't really either, much... Caleb and Reid though, they've had their fair share of torment, if in different ways..._

Tyler looked up when he heard his name again, Caleb asking if he would like to share his problems. _Of course you don't want to share your problems, _the voice chided in his ear. _You're weak. Even if you manage to open your mouth, you're not going to be able to say anything. And even if you do say anything, it's going to be lies. You know that, don't you? You're a lie, Tyler, a lie!_

Tyler shook his head, gritting his teeth. _I can do this, I know I can. _In not a very reassuring voice though, he answered, "Yeah?"

"Are you ready to explain about last week?"

_No, of course you're not. Can you open your mouth? Are you able to open your mouth __you little pansy __and speak?_

_Yes._

_Don't sound too reassuring now..._

Tyler sighed and said, "I suppose so. I haven't had as much time to dwell over things like Reid has, but I should probably explain for my actions."

_Ah, come on __you little pansy__, you're on a roll, _the voice teased, Tyler catching himself as he began shaking his head. He wondered dimly if it looked odd, randomly turning his head to the side fast, and then stopping. He didn't think the tone of his voice changed, but he couldn't tell. He was more focused on trying to get the voice to shut up.

"I...don't really know how to put it. While I was under Chase's thought process, my whole goal was to kill you guys," _and you still wish occasionally you pulled through, because then you wouldn't have to deal with me. _"When Reid showed up, I was more inclined to get rid of him first," _only because he's your best friend and you knew he could 'save' you, _"though he found my weak points. When you all killed Chase, I don't really know what happened." _Or you don't want to know what happened. Better run back to your corner, maybe stand for the name pansy__... _"I remember Caleb telling me something about being right back, only because of how Reid was acting." _And you were grateful to stay. It's only a pity Caleb took the knife with him..._

"During the time that I was in the hospital, every night another memory of what I did, of what happened to me, came back into my head, and I still don't know how to deal with it." _Only because I'm here... _"I still get thoughts from Chase's point of view," _understatement, _"sometimes when I look at you guys. The only cure is my car, or whatever drugs the doctor's put me under. And I know it's a sin killing myself," _which you have almost committed how many times now? _"But I really don't know how to get my mind straight. Whenever I see you guys, I try to bring myself to mention something, but then my will slips and I clamp my mouth shut." _It's worse than just shutting your mouth. You freeze up, your mind stops, and I come out and degrade you like the little slug that you are._

"I trust you guys, I just hope that you all trust me. But then again, I don't know how you can trust me when I can barely trust myself." _There ya go. For a second I thought you were just trying to fool yourself._

_No, shut up! I am not fooling myself. I _do_ trust them, because I know that they're the only ones that can help me out and get you to shut the hell up!_

"Tyler, are you going to be okay?"

Tyler looked at Caleb, before giving a shaky nod. He realized his heart was racing and he tried to calm himself down. He finally answered, saying, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

_Haha, as fine as a daisy in May my friend._

_Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up..._

"Tyler," he heard, and looked up, surprised to see Pouge speaking. "I want you to know that we're all here for you. We're your Brothers, and we care for you. I wish you could have opened up a little more, but I can see where you're coming from. We've all had a large impact on our lives, and they've changed a lot within the last couple of days. I'm glad as well that we've come as far as we have, and that we're still here together."

Tyler nodded, the voice for the moment staying quiet. _What can I do to keep it shut? It's becoming a nuisance and I'm running out of ideas to keep sane. I know these guys are going to help me out, but I'm scared to confront them more fully and seek out there help. I've caused Reid too much trouble already, I mean, look at him! Even though I barely remember it, he should have _died_. How he's still alive is all on Caleb and Pouge. I only tried to torment them all and kill them. I'm no good at all, and I can't stand it. And it's going to be awhile still until we're allowed to leave. I need to get out and figure things out; try to feel better. If I can get the voice to shut up, or even for longer and more often moments, I might have a chance at staying sane, and not doing something rash that might cause me regret in the end. Do I even have a chance though? I...don't even know if I can answer that..._

Tyler seemed finished with his thoughts for the moment and seemed to pay attention at the right moment. "Fine. I guess you can say that I have some trouble with Reid more so than with Tyler, though it varies." _Well that's sort of obvious, but I never really realized how he had trouble with me... He always seemed nicer and that maybe he cared slightly more. Reid though, it was obvious he never cared for the kid, but he's opening up, so it's a start, just like the rest of us..._

"...but I'm worried about your ways and how it's probably going to come back and bite you in the ass someday."

Tyler looked at Reid and noticed he was in thought. "That's all basically true. I'm trying to get everything straightened out, but it seems whenever I try, it gets even more fucked up and I resort back to my old habits. I'm trying though to be a better person."

Tyler looked at Reid, wondering why he would try to be a better person. He was a good guy as it was, and his habits made him all that much more popular with everyone. He saw Pouge turn towards his way, and wondered what he was going to say. "Tyler, I don't so much have a problem with you. I respect you in a lot of ways, the main being how you are always trusting us and how you are basically unable to hate anyone."

_Except I seem to be amazing at hating myself..._

"But you are a major follower, and some of your actions do worry me, because I know if you do something stupid, it's not you in the slightest bit. But you're faithful, which confuses me. I know you have a head on you too, and I wish you could use it to think of yourself a little bit more."

_Last time I tried to use my head to think for myself, look what happened... _Aloud, he said, "Yeah, I guess that's true as well. Sorry, I'll work on it."

_But will I? It hasn't come back yet, which is a start, and maybe if I can keep it away long enough to get to my car, maybe I'll find that happiness for a little bit, and I'll be able to get my thoughts straight for once..._

_You'll never get your thoughts straight__, and you should know this. You're never going to get better, and that really is too bad, because you're Brothers seem to have so much trust in you. _

_They _do _trust me and I trust them! They will help me out whether I ask or not, and I need their help more than they ever will believe. _

_You don't deserve their help though after what you tried to do to them._

_Never mind that._

_You wish that you could get over it, but you can't. Do you remember the look on Reid's face when you jumped out at him in the basement and shot him into the wall? Do you remember the pleasure that you felt when you saw the blood flow from Reid's head? From the way his body went limp? You didn't even want to make sure that he lived. You just wanted to make sure he died. That was your greatest mistake. If you had gone and looked—_

_Shut up! I wasn't in my right mind! I didn't want Reid to die, I never wanted anyone to die, I swear! It was Chase, controlling my mind. If I did what he wanted, he'd leave me alone! That's all I want. I want to be left alone and deal with everything on my own, and you're not helping! Go away NOW!_

Tyler noticed his breath was racing and he was panicking. He looked at Reid, Caleb, Pouge, seeing if they had noticed. By how they were focused on Caleb, he highly doubted they noticed his little battle, but he was grateful for their rapt attention on the leader. Tyler calmed down and attempted to focus on what Caleb was saying, but he seemed finished. He looked down and sighed, keeping away from his thoughts. Or trying, at least. He looked around at everyone, and saw that they all had the same relatively dark look on their face. "So, that's it then?" Reid asked, voice slightly raspy still, like he was trying to hold back something. Tyler didn't think it was tears, but more like frustration.

"If you guys want it to be. We got I think what we wanted out, so if there's anything else someone wants to say, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Tyler looked at Caleb, and wished he could say more. But, _later. I will talk with him later. I need to go drive and clear my head for a little bit. Maybe I'll give him a call in an hour or so..._

Caleb nodded and said, "Okay then, if that's all, then we might as well head on out. I know Reid and Tyler have some homework to catch up on..."

Tyler saw Reid give a slight grin, and managed a small grin himself. He did need to do his homework, and maybe the voice would be quiet long enough to allow him to focus and finish something. He saw Caleb and Pouge stand up, and followed suit, Reid last. They all looked at each other and nodded, heading up the stone steps quietly, an exception being for Reid and Tyler as they managed to hop up the stairs without falling.

Once at the top, they all left the mansion and went towards their cars, nodding to Ms. Danvers on the way out. Reid matched his pace with Tyler and asked, "Are you going back to the dorms?"

Tyler shook his head. "No, not for awhile. Maybe in like an hour or two?"

Reid nodded. "What are you going to do until then? If I may ask..."

Tyler shrugged. "Just drive around for a little bit and think."

Reid, Caleb and Pouge were looking at him, but Tyler managed to ignore it. Now they all knew his reason for driving around, and he didn't know if he liked it or not. It was a slight invitation to saying that he was having problems, but there was nothing he could do about it. He continued hopping over to his corvette and slid in, taking off his foot brace and tossing it into the back with his crutches. He wove his power around his foot so it didn't hurt, and waited for Caleb to leave so he could head out next.

A slight smile appeared on his face as he wondered what Caleb would do if Tyler tried to race him down the narrow road. He debated it as Caleb backed up, and realized that his corvette wouldn't do all that great down a dirt road. He followed Caleb close behind, Reid and then Pouge behind him. They drove down the road carefully, but once out on the main road where Tyler felt more sure of the asphalt he drove faster, soon catching up to Caleb and pacing him. He didn't know why he had a smile on his face, but he felt better, driving his corvette against Caleb's mustang, two of the biggest competitors out there. He glanced over at Caleb, who had noticed the pace. Tyler began creeping ahead, but he saw that Caleb wasn't going to allow him to win. Tyler switched into fourth gear, and smiled at the race. The voice was long gone, and he wasn't complaining one bit.

He and Caleb lost Pouge and Reid, though Pouge was keeping up better than Reid. Tyler knew that the end of the road was coming up, and they had to either turn left or right. It was risky, but Tyler flipped into fifth gear and pulled up next to Caleb, almost pacing him before speeding up and pulling in front of his Brother in order to get the left turn first. Tyler barely had enough time to hit his brakes and grab at his power and bracing himself and his car.

He felt the impact and saw black for a few moments before his eyes cleared and showed him the line of trees he had crushed. He calmed his breathing and saw everyone stopping, Pouge and Caleb already on their feet while Reid was trying to not fall out of his truck and break his leg again. Tyler shook his head and then felt everything. It seemed like all the emotions he should have felt while racing Caleb just now caught up with him, and it seemed like he hit the trees again.

He looked up again and saw Caleb and Pouge right next to his car, opening the door. "Tyler, are you okay?" Caleb asked, getting the door open and looking at him right in the eye.

Tyler nodded. "Y-yea, I'm fine."

Caleb nodded, Reid hopping up. "What were you thinking back there Ty? You know how sharp those turns are and what can happen if you don't go slow enough. Why did you try to beat me so bad?"

"To show you that Chevy is better than Ford?" He tried, Caleb only shaking his head.

"If it weren't for grabbing your power at the right moment, we would be having to figure out how to explain to your parents how you managed to wreck another car. I know your father wouldn't be too upset, but we know what your mom would say."

"Sorry Caleb," Tyler said, feeling six again. He was waiting for the voice to come back and nag at him, but for the moment it was silent, and he savored every last second of it.

"Are you okay at least? These trees won't be, but I think we can figure something out."

Tyler nodded and grabbed his powers, glad that they didn't ask why he wasn't holding onto his power when they came across. All of their eyes had been black as they ran up to Tyler, but during Caleb's little talk they all mellowed out and returned to normal. He wove a strand over bits of the broken trees and where they belonged, and as he pulled his car away from the forest, unscratched, he pulled the trees up behind him before he drove off. As he drove back, he noticed that was the longest and most he had Used since the day Chase died.

_That's good I suppose. And the voice didn't come back at all, which I'm glad for. I don't know how long he's going to be gone, but I hope I can at least drive for awhile and even then start my homework before he begins to yell at me for something that I've messed up now. Fuck, I'm really beginning to lose it..._

He looked back in his mirror and saw everyone following him, Caleb keeping the legal amount of distance back from his car, Pouge and Reid riding the back of Caleb's mustang. Tyler felt a little uncomfortable at leading them back to the dorms, but he was going to go off in his own direction towards Boston, or up to New Hampshire and drive around there for a little bit. He wanted to keep his mind clear and it was only 7:36, according to his clock.

At the turnoff for the dorms he decided to at least drive through and see what the guys were going to do. They all pulled into parking spots, Tyler getting out and supporting himself on his car while everyone else got out. "What are your plans?" Caleb asked as he walked up.

"I'm not sure. I was thinking either Boston or New Hampshire. I've been to both places recently and it won't take all that long of a drive. I'm planning on doing homework when I get back so..."

Caleb nodded, then looked over at Pouge and Reid. "Okay then. Hope to see you back sometime tonight."

Tyler gave a slight grin and watched them all walk away before getting back into his car and starting it. He rewrapped the power around his foot so it wouldn't start hurting, and then pulled out of the spot and drove south, deciding to hit up Boston for a little bit. At least it wouldn't take all that long of a drive.

XXX——X——XXX

Three hours later Tyler pulled back into the parking lot, feeling slightly better. He knew he had been gone longer than he thought, but he hit up some of the towns surrounding Boston and walked around the town a little bit. He took the elevator to his floor when he entered the building, and wondered if Reid was still up. He figured he was, but he had his doubts. He hopped over to their room, everything quiet like normal, and unlocked the room door, and seeing that the lights were still on, and Reid was passed out, his calculus book kicked onto the floor and papers spread out over his bed. Tyler chuckled and figured if Reid had fallen asleep to the lights on, then Tyler could continue to use them.

He pulled open his backpack and grabbed his textbooks, one for Calculus, AP Government, and Physics. He knew he had one or two essays he needed to write, but those would be easy. He sat on his bed for the next two and a half hours, completing his Calculus and AP Government, but was nowhere near to finishing up his Physics, which he didn't mind. When he set his books on the ground and decided that it was time for sleep, he looked at Reid and saw that his homework and notes were getting crushed. Sighing, he got up and limped over to his bed in his boot, and grabbed all of the papers and stacked them on top of his book, which he fixed as well.

Sighing again, he went over to his closet and grabbed his pajamas, changed, and got into his bed, turning out the light with his power since he was too lazy to reach over and flick it off. He got comfortable, once more grateful that the voice was still silent. He wasn't sure why it was taking so long for the voice to come back, but he appreciated it. For once, he felt more sane than he had for awhile as he fell asleep, not disturbed by any dreams.

XXX——X——XXX

In the morning, Tyler woke up and felt groggy, unsure of why. He pressed snooze on his alarm clock, and rolled back over, next knowing that Reid was shaking him awake. "Tyler, wake up. We gotta go."

Tyler rolled over, looked at Reid, who looked worried. "What's wrong?"

"School starts in a half hour. We both overslept."

Tyler groaned and sat up, blacking out for the moment. "Today definitely is going to suck," Tyler mumbled, getting up and limping over to his closet and randomly grabbing whatever clothes he saw first. Reid waited patiently as he got ready, and once done, they both hopped out of the room with close to twenty minutes to spare.

"I'll meet you at school," Reid said. "Are you going to be okay?"

Tyler nodded, climbing into his corvette. "See you there."

He took off the boot and tossed his crutches in the back, and soon was out of the parking lot and on his way to school, eyeing the buildings five minutes later. When he pulled into the parking lot, he saw Caleb and Pouge's car, and Reid parked next to him. They both got up and hopped towards their class, barely beating the bell.

In the middle of their Calculus class, Tyler's thoughts were spacing out worse than normal and he almost fell asleep more than once. Reid nudged him a few times, and at the end of the class, Tyler almost fell down the stairs, if it weren't for Reid grabbing onto his power at the right moment and wrapping it around Tyler to hold him up. Once out of the classroom, Reid stopped Tyler, looking at him. "Tyler, are you alright? What's going on?"

Tyler shook his head. "I have no idea. I'm just really tired."

_Of course you're really tired. If only you knew what you did during your sleep._

_What? What are you talking about? Why did you come back?_

"Do you need me to take you back to the dorms?" Tyler tried focusing on what Reid said, but it was like an echo down a long hall.

"I, I'm fine," he breathed out, the voice becoming more prominent in his head.

_You would like to know wouldn't you? You like to believe that your little tricks to get rid of me work, but they really only make you realize how worthless you are. When you realize how pointless you are on your own, why should I help? Even though your little wreck into the trees was amusing and you set yourself to be slapped around a bit, I held back, only because you believed I wasn't there. But, now that you know that I'm still here, I think that I will pop out once in awhile, just to surprise you and show that I'm not going away anytime soon. Sound good? Good._

Tyler didn't know what to do. He felt himself slipping out of control, falling into the crack in his mind that Chase had created. He could feel himself sliding down the wall, his crutches already on the ground. He couldn't tell if his foot was hurting or not, but his body was completely numb. "Tyler, Tyler! What's going on?" he head Reid ask, and couldn't tell if anyone else was near.

_Get yourself together Tyler. What's the matter? What's happening? I want to know why I'm so exhausted and what's happening to me. Is this all your doing?_

_Give or take, yes._

Tyler shook his head, but it didn't work. _What's going on with me?_

_Simple. Your body can't handle the stress of your school, your friends, the memories of Chase, your daily life, the constant battle with the power, your depression, and me. It's giving up, and there's nothing you can do about it._

_I don't want to go back to the hospital. I can't go back already. They're going to think something is wrong with me..._

_Besides the obvious?_

_Shut up! I'm not asking you. I want everything to be back to normal, and I want my life back. I'm not crazy, or losing my mind, and I've gotten really good over the past years of holding back my stress. _

_You really should have slept in this morning, but you can't afford to miss anymore classes, can you?_

_Just ignore him, just ignore him... Where's Reid? Caleb? Pouge? Focus, focus on reality, on what's actually here in front of me..._ Tyler struggled awake and felt himself being carried. He thought it was two people, but he couldn't tell. He barely opened his eyes, and saw the blurry school. He thought he heard voices, but it was only gibberish. It was deeper though, so it might have been his friends.

He tried to make a noise, but nothing worked. He did manage to roll his head, but his carriers didn't notice. Either that or he couldn't even recognize his own name.

_Do you believe me yet? I didn't really have to do anything. I just had to reenter your mind and corrupt your dreams. Dreams can help determine how well you sleep, and if you spend the entire night frozen into a scared statue, then I'm okay with that. It had the effect I desired, which I'm quite pleased with. Now, you're going to slip into a sleep, and you won't know what's real and what's not._

_I know what's real. All I have to do is look around. I know that I'm still in the school. They wouldn't just up and leave. I'm sure they're taking me to the hospital and have the nurse check me out if Pouge comes up inconclusive, or they'll have some sort of reason of why I collapsed._

_Have you been eating lately, Tyler?_

Tyler thought, and realized it had been over a day since he had really last eaten. He had a little snack in Boston that consisted of a granola bar, and had another granola bar for breakfast the day before, but that was it. _What does that have to do with my body?_

_It can be a reason for collapse, and the nurse is probably going to ask about it. _

Tyler tried to regain consciousness again, but it was even harder than before. He did manage to open his eyes again and look around the room, seeing he was in the nurse's office. He saw Pouge and Reid come over to him, Caleb talking to the nurse.

"Tyler, what happened?" Pouge asked.

"He's...back..." Tyler whispered, the blackness rolling over his vision. "Can't...stand...more..."

"Tyler!" he heard Reid yell as the voice began laughing, the black rolling over Tyler once more, crushing him and drowning him in his thoughts and memories, ripping him apart and making sure that he wouldn't remember himself if he ever woke up again.

**_X-X-X-X-X_**

Pouge turned and looked towards Caleb, then to Reid, the same thought on his mind as well. _What the fuck is going on here?_

He looked back towards Caleb and saw that he was wrapping up the conversation, the nurse grabbing a clipboard and saying, "Well, if he's not up by the end of the school day, I will have to call his parents and alert them of what happened. His vitals all seem fine, otherwise I'd be calling an ambulance right now."

"I can assure you, Ms. Marit, he doesn't want to go back to the hospital anytime soon."

Pouge watched the nurse sit on her chair, and say, "Well, if he doesn't want to go back, then he'll wake up soon."

Caleb nodded, and looked at Pouge and Reid. "There's nothing more we can do here. Shall we?"

Reid and Pouge nodded, all leaving the room regretfully. Halfway back to their classes, Reid spoke up. "He's back, Tyler said."

That stopped Caleb in his tracks. "Wait. What did he say? When?"

"He woke up when you were talking to Ms. Marit. He said 'he's back, can't stand more.'"

Caleb shook his head. "What the hell is going on? Come on, we're going back to my place."

Pouge and Reid nodded, following Caleb. Pouge slid into his R8 and thought back to the night before. _Tyler was acting odd all night. Like he wasn't even paying attention. His voice was off, and he looks worse than he ever has. This had an impact on killing us, obviously Reid and Tyler the most... _He remembered the quick calming spell Caleb had placed on Tyler when they had to take Reid to the hospital. He ignored the shiver as he remembered holding Reid down, wishing Caleb would drive faster. _"His eyes and skin are getting worse, Caleb! He's not calming down!" _

"_I'm driving as fast as I dare too, Pouge. We have blood on our hands. You're going to have to take him in, tell them it was an accident. I have to go get Tyler and the body."_

The body... Pouge remembered lighting it on fire over by the barn, though deep in the woods, where no one would see or smell it. It was as proper as they could get. Caleb and Pouge stood there late into the night, waiting for the last spark to go out. The next day, they had finished cleaning everything they could, and didn't know what to do with the family's house that Chase had destroyed. Their fingerprints were everywhere, but he and Caleb did the best they could to clean the area up. The most worrisome had been the basement, and Pouge could hardly stand to be down there, knowing that was where Tyler had been beaten and Reid almost killed. They finished quickly but efficiently, and scanned the rest of the house with one of the darker spells that Pouge's grandfather had created. When everything was cleaned, they called the police and left an anonymous message about one of the older houses outside of town.

Pouge shook his head, attempting to clear it. It had been one hell bound week, and he was not excited for the rest of it, especially with this new ordeal thrown into their hands. He followed Caleb into the driveway, Reid pulling up shortly as well. The three got out and walked towards the basement, silent. Pouge figured Caleb was trying to figure out what to do, and Reid was probably feeling guilty for one thing or another.

As they reached the bottom of the steps, Caleb instantly reached for the Book and flipped through it. Pouge had forgotten how many generations the book has been in, so there was bound to be something on hearing voices. Pouge and Reid sat in their normal spots as Caleb walked back and forth, trying to find a page. Finally...

"Got it! Okay, so here's what the Book says..."

**_X-X-X-X-X_**

Tyler felt his body reject the sleep and he began to wake up, feeling more groggy than he thought he should. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times before looking around. He noticed he was in the nurse's office of the school, but he didn't know why.

_Is something wrong? What time is it? Where is everyone? Did something happen?_

He became panicky and managed to calm down a little before sitting up and going to find someone. Maybe the nurse would have some answers. He looked around, but couldn't find her. Deciding to sit back on the bed, he tried to at least recall where he was exactly.

_I'm in the nurse's office at...the school? Or...the dorms? I don't remember. I would go look around, but I don't want to get in any trouble. What's going on? Why can't I remember anything? Did I hit my head or something?_

Tyler looked around and heard a door shut, soon seeing a lady walking across the room. "Tyler, you're awake! That's good. How are you feeling?"

"Fine I guess?"

She came over and looked him over, taking his pulse and blood pressure. "You seem fine. You're only been out for two hours, and I bet your friends are around here somewhere. Do you feel any pain?"

"No, I feel fine. How did I end up here?"

"You collapsed in the hall and you wouldn't wake up, so your friends brought you here. Nothing seemed wrong though, and if you hadn't woken up within the next two hours, I was going have to call an ambulance. Your friends didn't seem so enthusiastic about that that idea though."

Tyler looked down at his foot. _I can imagine that I wouldn't want to go back. _"Okay then I guess... Am I allowed to leave for the rest of the day, or do I have to go back to class?" he finished slowly, taking a wild shot in the dark that he was at the school.

"I think I'll allow you leave the rest of the day. I'll tell the Dean that you were excused for the rest of the day due to a severe anxiety attack, causing you to collapse. I know he'll be okay with it. Now, drive safely. You seem much better than you were earlier, and I'll be sure to let Mr. Danvers know how you're doing, though I'm sure they'll be waiting for a message."

Tyler nodded before sliding off the bed and limping towards his crutches. He moved slowly and could feel the nurse watching him, finally feeling her look away when the door shut behind him. He heard her walk into her office and there was a moment of silence before he heard her voice again.

"Hi Caleb, this is Sarah Marit from Spencer's. Tyler is up and moving, and I released him from school the rest of the day. If you want to either give him a call to make sure he is going to be okay, that would be awesome, and please keep an eye on him. He seems fine, but if anything happens again, let me know. Have a good day now."

Tyler continued down the hall, moving slowly as he hoped his memory would return and help him remember his life. Obviously Caleb was an important person. Maybe his step dad or something. Should he wait then? Or should he call the person? Or should he just head back to the dorms?

_Ha...I don't think that I could remember where the dorm is, or even where my room is. No picture, no nothing. Maybe I should call this Caleb-guy. Maybe he can help me out..._

He stopped by what he guessed was the main office and sat down, searching himself for his cell phone. He finally found it and scrolled through the contacts, coming across Caleb and had a moment to collect himself before calling. Finally, he heard the ringing, and on the third ring, the phone was answered. "Hey Tyler, I got Ms. Marit's message and Pouge, Reid and I are on our way back to the school. How are you feeling?"

"Fine I guess..."

"Okay, that's good. We left my house a little bit ago, so we'll be at the school in fifteen or twenty minutes. You're still there, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay we'll be there soon. Hold tight, okay?"

_No worries. I'll be holding you down tight._

"What?" Tyler breathed out, looking around. He didn't see anyone down the hall, and no one was outside.

"Tyler? You still there?"

"Y-yeah...I just thought I heard something but I guess it's my imagination."

_Yeah, your imagination...keep that in mind._

Tyler looked around again, starting to get a bit freaked out. "Okay, we'll be there soon. If you need to go walk around or something, go ahead. Keep yourself as busy as possible, thinking as little as possible."

_Really? Thinking will make me go away? Ha. This shall be enjoyable._

"Yeah, just...hurry."

"Will do."

Tyler hung up and looked around once more, ensuring that no one was there. _Why do you keep looking around? No one is there. Haven't you realized this yet?_

Tyler's breath hitched and he slid down the bench a little, gripping the sides tight.

_What's wrong Tyler? Is there something wrong?_

"Wh-what's going on? Where are you?" he called, moving around the bench, pressing himself against the wall as his breathing increased.

_I'm right here, Tyler. I'm not seeing how you don't understand. Wake up, little one._

Tyler slipped off the bench and smacked his foot on the ground, as well as his head. He felt pain from both sides and didn't want to move for the moment. _When are they going to get here? When? He sounded younger than I thought, and seemed to truly care about what was going on. He seemed to know what was going on. Hopefully he and whoever else is coming will be able to help me._

Tyler got himself off of the floor and grabbed his crutches, walking out of the area. He had to keep himself busy, and if it weren't for his foot being broken, he would've ran as far and as fast as he could at that moment.

_What is up with your moving and thinking that you're going to get the better end of this? By moving around a lot, I'm not going to go away. Duh._

Tyler tripped over nothing and lost his balance, hitting the ground hard. He laid there for a few minutes, trying to calm down. As he began to get up, he heard someone calling his name and it sounded outside of his own head for once. "Tyler! Are you okay?"

He saw two guys jogging towards him, another guy on crutches a little bit behind. Tyler stood up as one of the guys grabbed his crutches, handing them to him. "Uh, thanks, and yeah, I'm fine I suppose..." He looked at the guys closer, and they looked sort of familiar. He couldn't place any names, but if he had to guess, he thought that the Caleb guy was the one with the shorter brown hair. The other two...he couldn't remember their names.

Caleb looked at him, and frowned. "What's wrong? You don't look all that okay."

Tyler grimaced. "Ah...I'm not quite sure. I'm just...confused I guess."

Caleb nodded. "Let's head out then. Do you want to ride with me, Pouge, or Reid?"

Tyler looked at the three, associating Pouge with the other brunette, and Reid as the blonde on crutches. "Who can I trust most?"

The three stared at him, the look clearly saying that they thought he had lost his mind. _Maybe I have... I don't remember anything, so... I guess you can say that I have lost my mind. _"Umm..." Caleb started, looking at the other two. "You trust all of us evenly, probably Reid more than Pouge or I, but you should probably ride with me so I can begin explaining things. Is that okay?"

Tyler nodded and followed them towards the parking lot, nervous as to what they were going to talk about and do. They rode in silence for a few minutes before Caleb spoke up. "Can you tell me what you do know, Tyler?"

Tyler glanced at Caleb quickly before looking back out the window. "Umm...my name..."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah. You guys kind of looked familiar at first, and I remember that I live in a dorm room, but that's it."

"What about the voice? Does it tell you anything?"

Tyler heard laughing in the background as he answered, "No."

Caleb stayed silent for a few more minutes, as Tyler grew uneasy. He didn't know what was going on, or how he trusted these people. For all he knew, they were kidnapping him and were going to beat him up.

_Oh how you guessed that one. Too bad that you forgot how these guys tormented you through your years, and how they just recently made up for it. But you've never been able to trust them for all the pain and embarrassment they put you through. Who knows what you're riding too. This is probably going to be one of your last car rides, and there's nothing you can do about it, because you don't remember. Isn't that too bad?_

Tyler began fidgeting, and felt his pulse increase. What was he going to do? How could he have trusted these guys? The one he was riding with said he trusted the blonde one more. Why hadn't he ridden with him? What was this brunette going to do to him? What were they all going to do to him once he got out of the car?

He looked over and saw Caleb focusing on the road, but deep in thought. He could easily lose control of the car and crash into something. "Are, are we close yet?" He wanted to know how long he had until his death.

"A few more minutes, about seven. Can you hold on that long?"

"I think so."

"It's okay Tyler, we'll explain everything that happened soon, and we'll do our best to get that voice out of your head and get the real you back."

Tyler nodded. This guy seemed a lot more reassuring than the voice. So, if the voice was inside his head, and these people knew about it and were going to get it out, shouldn't he trust these people just as much?

_You would fall back on these people. That's your problem. You rely on everyone else too much and you're only going to get hurt in the end. No one was there when you woke up. You were confused, and you didn't know what to do._

"But I called them..." Tyler muttered, and missed the look that Caleb gave him.

_Only after the nurse called him. You didn't even have a name to go off of if you hadn't eavesdropped, and if it weren't for the nurse _and _you calling him, then who knows if he ever would've called you._

Tyler looked out the window, even more uncomfortable than before. He didn't know who to trust, and he was already sick of the voice talking to him. He didn't know how to shut it off. _If I lost my mind before, I can see why._

"Are you okay Tyler?"

Tyler looked at Caleb, then away. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You've seemed distracted the past few minutes."

"Oh. Right. Just trying to figure some things out."

"Right... Well, we're going to be there over this hill, and then we'll start everything."

Tyler only nodded and kept his eyes on the passing trees. As soon as they were over the hill, Tyler saw the mansion and couldn't help but feel his mouth drop. The place was large, and beautiful in the early spring. He continued to admire the house as they pulled through the gates and up the driveway, finally parking. Caleb smiled for a brief moment before saying, "Your place is a bit smaller than this," and getting out of the car.

Stunned, Tyler followed, the voice even quiet for the moment. Reid and Pouge soon joined them, and followed them to the back of the house. They went down a stone stairwell into a dark basement, the voice beginning to pipe up once more.

_Get out get out get out get out of here while you still can. This isn't going to turn out like I thought I was. If you know what's best for you Tyler, get out now!_

Tyler shook his head, feeling strange. He felt sort of dizzy, and the voice was giving him a headache. Pouge put a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Tyler, are you going to be okay?"

Without thinking he responded, "I'm not sure. The voice is trying to get me out of here, and he seems desperate."

"We're almost at the bottom. If you need us to restrain you, which is what we're expecting, we will."

Tyler looked at Pouge and nodded, then continued on down the last of the stairs, fighting the urge to throw up. His head felt like a cloud of dust, and it was hard to focus on anything. _Why aren't you doing what I'm saying? You should trust ME! I'm the one who was here first! Get out of here right now! I command you! Leave at once!_

_NO! _You_ leave at once. I don't want you here with me, and I don't want to listen to you anymore. You are not the boss of me, and I don't trust you in the least bit. If this is what's going to make you go away, then so be it. You seemed confident before; what happened?_

_They have something else that I wasn't expecting. I see the Book. I see the candles. I see the chalk. They found a way that I'm not aware of. _

_Good._

Caleb walked over to a center stone, and gestured for Tyler to come closer. "Tyler, you will be sitting on this, cross-legged. If you try to move, Reid or Pouge will hold you down. This may hurt a bit, but we're not exactly sure. The Book of Shadows gave instructions on how to purify you, not on the specifics of what happened. So, are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I can get, I suppose." Tyler went and sat on the stone, feeling awkward. He looked around and saw Pouge come to his left side, Reid walking the best he could to Tyler's right side.

Caleb opened the book, then placed a candle in front of Tyler, and next to him where Reid and Pouge were standing. He lit them, grabbed the chalk, and made a circle around each candle, before placing a white dot on Tyler's forehead and palms.

"We, Brother's four, not by blood, but of mind and spirit, come together to help a fellow Brother in need. An invasion of the mind, body, and soul, an invader that is not welcome."

Tyler felt a pressure in his forehead that became warm. He wanted to rub his head, to scratch it or move it or something, but he couldn't. His palms were stuck on his knees, and he wasn't able to turn away from Caleb.

Caleb looked at him in the eye, saying, "Pressure in the head and hands. Head, for where the invader lurks and lives, and palms, for the deeds the invader has committed. Blood has been spilt, among our side and others, otherwise known as sin. Forgiveness will be granted, once the invader has disappeared."

Tyler could feel himself beginning to sweat, as he tightened his grip on his jeans, feeling like a statue. He looked around the best he could, and the candle in front of him seemed blinding. He felt his pulse race as he got the rash idea that they were going to burn him with it. _I...I can't be burned! It's a punishment of the witches! I can't be burned, no, no, no..._

Tyler couldn't tell if those were his thoughts or the voice's. Both seemed appropriate though for the moment, but he couldn't calm himself down. The pressure inside his head was becoming worse and worse, and it felt like a nail was slowly digging its way through his palms where Caleb had left the chalk mark.

"We, a Covenant of Brothers, command the invader to leave. Either with force or by guidance, the one will leave."

Tyler panicked when he saw Caleb open his hand, especially when he slammed it into Tyler's forehead. Tyler finally let out a yell as he felt the pressure in his head increase to such an unbearable amount, he was able to move his palms from his pants. He felt his arms grabbed and placed back on his knees, but he didn't want them there. He wanted to be ripping to shreds the person that had their hand on his forehead.

After a moment, he felt his own mind begin to rip. He couldn't move through his own pain, but the world turned black and he couldn't feel anything around him anymore. He did feel his mind begin to calm down, and it felt lighter. Then was he able to collapse, able to move his own body once more and think his own thoughts.

* * *

Hey everyone, i'm back!! Sorry for such the long update. I hope the length of this chapter and what happens explains a bit... Idk. I like it... So here's chapter 23, and once more i'm really sorry it took so long to update. School and work has been a bitch, i'm not fond of my family, so i'm always with my friends since i was home for the month, but yeah... i'll try to update again sooner. The next chapter will be Reid, and it may be the last chapter, with possibly an epilouge, but we'll see...hehe. Thanks for those of you who read and review, especially Susangel who got me off my lazy muse-less butt to finish this chapter ^_^  
But i hope you enjoyed, and see ya next time!!!


	24. True Brothers

**[24]**

Reid felt Tyler loosen up, and sighed in relief, seeing Caleb and Pouge do the same. Tyler collapsed, and the three managed to get him onto the ground, deciding to wait until he woke up. If he wasn't fixed, it'd be safer to stay where the Book of Shadows was for the time being. Just in case, of course.

"What're we going to do now?" Pouge asked when Tyler was settled on the ground, Caleb and Pouge's jackets being used as pillows.

Caleb looked at Reid. "Figure out what we're going to do with Reid."

Reid looked up. _Ah...shit._ "What do you mean by that?"

"Your uncle. He's not going to get away with all of that, remember?"

Reid nodded. "Yes, I remember, but I'd prefer to not see him anytime soon."

"Reid, we understand," Pouge said. "But we're going to do this. You know how much of a sin this whole situation is. Your family is a lie. No, your _father_ is a lie, to set you up with your uncle like that and pretend like nothing happened."

"My father _doesn't _know though! He has an _idea, _because that's what Jarrod did to him! Jarrod goes further with me, and always has. He's always loved me more than he did his own brother!" Reid couldn't control his anger. _They just aren't getting it!_

The looks on his friends' face though calmed him down a little. They at least looked upset. "Reid," Caleb asked silently, "what do you mean by he loved you more than your father?"

"Exactly as it sounds."

He turned away and looked towards Tyler. He was still passed out, and probably would be for the next few hours. Reid didn't know if he could stay here for a few more hours though. _But I'm the only one that Tyler truly trusts. We all know this. _Reid remembered the look on Tyler's face as he struggled to realize what he was doing, what he was _about _to do to his best friend. Reid could still feel the rocks and grass around him from the house. _I've helped him, and he's helped me more than anyone could ever hope for. Why should I leave him now?_

Reid looked back to Caleb and Pouge, and went and sat down. He was sick of his crutches, and the stone bench was a bit more comforting on his leg. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the stone walls, hearing Caleb and Pouge move as well, probably to their little seats. He heard Caleb ask softly, "What are you thinking about Reid?"

"Everything. At the moment, mostly about the battle with Chase, towards the end." He replied, monotone. He wasn't even going to fight the questions this time. "Mainly how I should've died, and how Tyler was so intent on killing me."

"You shouldn't have died, and you didn't," Caleb said."The only reason why Tyler was so intent on killing you is because Chase knew you were his strongest link. By eliminating you would only destroy Tyler into literally nothing. You know this."

Reid only felt disappointment and despair wash through him. _Caleb really isn't helping... _"I did come close though." He cracked his eyes open long enough to see the glance that was exchanged between Pouge and Caleb.

"Yes you did. But that doesn't matter. Even though you have had it rough, we're going to get revenge. You have been stripped of what it means to be a teenager, to be an adult, and though we can't get those parts back. You've matured in different ways quicker than we have. No matter what it comes down to, we are going to get revenge, Brother."

Reid shook his head. "You don't even know where he lives."

"But you'll tell us if we harass you enough," Pouge said.

_True... Annoying me surprisingly gets more done than less. _"We'll see." Reid wanted to wrap up the discussion and try to talk about something else. The whole issue with his uncle...it was a personal matter, and he honestly didn't want them there. _Unless I go before they do and if something goes wrong, or my plans go well, everyone will or will not be needed. _"I do want my cast off first though, before we do anything." Reid looked at them at this point, and saw them both nod.

"Three weeks then."

XX——X——XX

The three weeks passed quicker than Reid had wished for, but springtime was beginning to appear, causing everyone around school to be in better moods. When Tyler and Reid went in to have their casts removed, the doctor was surprised at their recovery time.

"Four weeks? That's quite unusual for such severe breaks, both of you."

Reid gave a slight smile. "Come on, you know my past. I've always healed quicker than everyone else."

Tyler nodded. "Same here."

The doctor sighed and began cutting off Reid's cast, before moving onto Tyler and checking out his foot. When they were done, they went into Reid's truck and drove to meet with Caleb and Pouge. They were meeting again in the basement, and Tyler asked, "Does it feel like it's been only four weeks since Chase, and six weeks since this all started?"

Reid shrugged against the back of the seat. "In some ways yeah, in most other ways no." Reid had been planning when he would be leaving for his uncle's, and when the Brother's would. Tonight they'd be finalizing the plans, and harassing Reid as much as possible. The only problem was, his uncle lived six hours away in Manahawkin, New Jersey. He knew the way almost by heart, so giving directions wouldn't be hard. The hard part would be how much earlier he should leave than Caleb, Pouge, and Tyler.

They pulled up to the mansion and headed around to the back and down the stone steps. They both had some problems moving since they weren't used to moving without their crutches, but the doctor had said that their bones were completely and thoroughly healed, so they didn't need to even bother with the crutches anymore.

As they reached the bottom, Caleb and Pouge were simply waiting, Caleb saying, "Ah, they can walk again," as Reid and Tyler sat down.

Reid and Tyler only nodded and waited for Caleb to make the opening move. Caleb stood up, saying, "Now that everyone is here and able to move, it's time to discuss what we're going to do for Reid." He glared at Reid, almost daring him to say something to talk them out of it. When Reid remained silent, he continued. "We have managed to get out of Reid that the drive is long, and out of state. We can handle that. But Reid, we need you to put in the missing details."

Reid leaned back and stared at Caleb, wondering what he would do to get Reid to say something. "I guess I am the key detail. But I'm not going to say anything because I want to do all of this myself. You know this."

"Yes we do. But you do not understand the reason why we want to help you."

"You don't want to understand the reason why I want you to stay, too." Reid's voice began rising, but he didn't move from where he was sitting.

Caleb shook his head and walked away over to the center of the room. "Reid, I don't want to deal with this, all right? Have you forgotten what the main purposes of the Book are about?"

"I haven't forgotten anything. This is a family matter, as well as personal. I can and need to handle this by myself, otherwise I'm not going to get over it."

Caleb only looked at him, and it became a staring contest. Reid kept his arms crossed, and watched Caleb stand still. "Reid, I'm going to bug you and bug you until you tell us. Or, I can go to your father. I can tell him it's a history project, and I have to research my friends' family and the area where immediate family lives. Does that sound familiar at all?"

"Project in fifth grade and eighth grade," Reid mumbled. His father wouldn't be surprised, and would answer all of Caleb's questions.

"Exactly. Each year it became broader, and you know this. So, I highly doubt your father would be surprised."

"That's what I was just thinking."

Reid shut his eyes and didn't know what to do. He didn't want his friends to know where his uncle lived, but they would figure it out anyway through worse means. "Are you that determined to figure it out?"

"Yes."

Reid sighed and closed his eyes. "He lives in Manahawkin, New Jersey. It's almost literally six hours away, and near the ocean. Does that help?"

Caleb smiled. "Yes, it does." He moved away, and began pacing. "Does he work on the weekends?"

"Generally no. He owns a semi-combined construction and carpentry business, so he can do whatever the hell he wants, basically."

Caleb nodded. "So, would he be home, say, Saturday afternoon?"

"Yeah. Or, at least he was home whenever I was over. I don't think he makes any plans. He's fairly lazy and doesn't keep a woman around the house."

Caleb sighed at how Reid had phrased the last part. "Okay then. So, if we leave here around nine or ten, we'll get there around three or four, depending how many times we have to stop on the way and who's driving." Caleb looked around, and everyone had a smirk on their face.

_Another reason why we all love taking our own cars, _Reid thought. _Driving is one passion we definitely share. _"Well, we can go with the best gas-efficient car."

"Which is not yours or Tyler's."

Reid saw Tyler roll his eyes, and smirked. "Basically. We need space for four full grown guys. So, Caleb, I think your car would be the best."

Caleb nodded. "Right. We'll meet here tomorrow at nine, get ready, and go. I'll look through the book and see if there is anything on this type of situation. Does that work for you guys?"

Pouge, Reid, and Tyler nodded, Reid falling into his own thoughts. _So that means I should probably leave before nine. I at least have to leave before Tyler wakes up, otherwise I'll get caught. I'll get up at eight, and if he's up I'll tell him I'm going to stop by my parents house to let them know that I'm going to see uncle. That...shouldn't be too suspicious...if I'm going to double-check that he's actually there...it should work._

Reid looked up again as Caleb began to speak. "Okay. Head on out then and we'll meet here early."

"Short meeting..." Tyler mumbled as they stood up.

"Only because I opened my mouth," Reid replied.

He saw Tyler smirk as they went to the staircase and soon out into the night.

XX——X——XX

Reid pressed the snooze button on his alarm clock, not wanting to wake up. He had to though if he was going to beat everyone to his uncle's. "mmnogonnamofe," he heard Tyler mumble as he rolled over. Reid chuckled and slowly got out of his bed, resetting the alarm clock.

He went over to his closet and specifically picked out a white long sleeved shirt, a black t-shirt with a skull on the shoulder, jeans, black tennis shoes, his black gloves, and his black beanie. This was his uncle's least favorite outfit, and he hoped that it helped show how he was becoming a little bit more defiant.

When he finished packing his pockets it was 8:15 and Tyler still hadn't waken up. _So far, so good. _He slowly walked out of the room and went to the bathrooms down the hall to relieve himself before the drive, and to make sure he looked like he wanted to.

When ready, he walked out of the front doors and lit up a cigarette, trying to calm himself. He had six hours to prepare himself, and he thought he was ready. _If I'm ready, than why am I smoking? Because I can? Because uncle hates it? Because I'm really not ready for this? I'm going to turn 18 in a week. Let's just hope that I make it until then._

He walked out to his truck and put out his cigarette, hopped in, and was soon on his way after filling up his truck. When he had entered the highway, he heard his cell phone ring and checked who was calling. He saw it was Tyler and set it back down on the seat. _Sorry Ty, but I really have to do this myself. You know this._

His phone went off once more, than again twenty minutes later, this time reading Caleb's name. Caleb left him a message, telling him that he was now being immature and they were going to find the house no matter what, and they were getting ready to leave, so he better keep an eye on the roads.

Reid checked his speed and was cruising at 75, well over the limit, but he had his power on light and checking for any cops within a five mile radius. Caleb would probably do the same, but Reid still had almost an hour advantage on him; he only hoped that it helped.

XX——X——XX

Reid arrived at his uncle's house a little before two, which he was proud of. He had at least forty-five minutes before anyone else showed up, but he was sure something could be accomplished in that amount of time. Whether it was something that was worthwhile or not, he wasn't exactly sure.

Reid parked a little down the road and got out, the weather slightly better than back at home, he noticed. He walked up to the white house, seeing his uncle's car in driveway. _For being so successful like the rest of the family, he sure doesn't show it..._ Reid knew that the inside of the house was much more modern than the outside. _It's just like his personality, but backwards..._

Reid walked up the stone steps, noting how the grass was beginning to turn green. He stepped in front of the glass storm door, opened it and knocked on the plain white front door. He took a step back and almost held his breath, while barely keeping a manageable beat on his heart. He realized how unprepared he was and he didn't know what he would do when his uncle opened the front door. _I could make it to my truck before he opens the door..._

As Reid was about to bolt, he heard the front door click and slide open. His uncle seemed surprised at first when he saw Reid, but quickly recovered. "Ah, Air. How nice of you to visit."

"We need to talk."

His uncle opened the storm door, grinning. "Of course. Come on in."

Reid hesitated before walking into the house, his senses rising with each step into the house. Reid went towards the kitchen; he had no need of looking around at the house. He probably knew this place better than his uncle did. He did have the one or two hiding places that his uncle still didn't know about. Once in the kitchen, Reid looked at his uncle in the eye and mentally took in a deep breath. "You are not to come near me anymore in my life. I don't care what the event is; you are not to be within sight of me, ever again. If you are invited over to our place again, I will tell my parents _everything _that you have done to me. They've seen it, but I was forced to cover it with other lies."

His uncle took a step closer, amusement in his eyes. "Oh, Air, you are quite adorable when you're defensive. I think you forgot what I told you a few weeks ago. You are _mine, _boy. And you know this too. I am bigger, stronger, and wiser than you. You can't scare me."

"Yes I can. This is something that I've always wanted to do." Reid allowed the power to flood him, the only warning his uncle recieving was his eyes turning black. He released his power, his uncle becoming outraged as Reid shot a ball at him.

When his uncle recovered from the hit, he yelled, "When you are in my prescience boy, you will not Use!"

His uncle took another two steps forward where he was in reaching distance of Reid, but Reid hit him across the face with his power. His uncle shook it off, then turned back to him, smiling. "Is that all you got, boy?"

Reid began panicking; he was beginning to relive the memories once more. He threw a ball at his uncle's stomach, which did cause him to bend over briefly. When he straightened, he looked only angrier. Reid grabbed tightly at his power, and hit his uncle across the face and again in the stomach. When his uncle recovered a few seconds later, he asked, "Air, are you aware of what your father would say if he found out you were down here harassing me as you are right now?"

"He would nod his head, because you did the same to him."

His uncle chuckled and lunged at Reid, but Reid was slightly to slow. He did shoot his uncle, but a slight rebound went into him as well, which paused his breath for a second. His uncle barely recovered before he did, and came after Reid again. As Reid was about to shoot, his uncle pressed up against him, hard, grabbing Reid's throat.

"Air, you have to learn _something _if you think you are ever going to beat me. I thought you did know better, but I guess I'll have to show you some things again." He moved slowly away, and used the majority of his strength the throw Reid into the wall across the room. Reid hit it and lost his breath. He tried to catch it again, but could only breathe in short gasps. He looked up when he heard his uncle coming closer to him, and glanced at the clock. It read 2:07. He still barely had at least another forty minutes before Caleb, Pouge, and Tyler arrived.

His uncle picked him up by his shirt and punched him in the stomach. Reid lost whatever breath he had gained, and for the moment he couldn't feel his lower half. His uncle didn't drop him though. "If you think that you can waltz on in here and tell me that you want me to leave you alone, you really have another thing coming until you can prove something. You got that?"

Reid only gave a slight cough. "Now, boy, what should I do with you? I suppose I can't keep you here too long; I suppose your friends know you're gone, and they'd be worried where you disappeared to. It doesn't matter though if you are barely able to drive home. If you kill yourself, that's' really your own fault."

His uncle set him on his feet and shoved him towards the bedroom where Reid has always stayed. Just seeing the door brought back every memory, and he was quite content to stay in the kitchen. "Move, Air, or else I will make you."

"You better make me then, _sir._"

"Gladly." Reid didn't have to see the grin on his uncle's face. His voice was coated with lust.

Reid slowly turned around, grabbing a hold on his powers once more. His uncle came towards him and Reid shot at him. His uncle grunted a little, but otherwise didn't seem much effected. _What the hell is his problem? Why does the power seem to absorb into him?! _His uncle continued walking closer, Reid shooting him two more times before his uncle reached him. "You really, really, need to learn your manners once more." His uncle backhanded him across the face, Reid feeling the ring slice into his cheek. "Why do I have to show you these lessons again and again, boy?"

He backhanded Reid once more then pulled off his belt, smacking it against his palm. Reid could barely feel his face, and he was about to try to stand up to his uncle until the belt met with the side of his head. He crumpled to the ground, crying out in pain. He was whipped again on the same place, and lost feeling with the world. He next felt the whip on his stomach, and wondered where his shirt had gone. He barely opened his eyes, vision blurry, and saw his shirt was off, tossed up on the counter above him.

He saw his uncle notice his eyes were open, and said, "I really do hate your outfit today. You look more magnificent with your clothes off. I noticed how the marks I left have healed. I guess that only means you're due for some more."

He was whipped again on his chest, then repeatedly on his arms and stomach. His yells turned into grunts, his muscles contracting with each hit. When his uncle stopped, Reid could still feel his uncle hitting him. When he managed to calm down, he was in sweat and tears. He managed to look up and saw the clock on the stove again, seeing it was almost two thirty. He looked at his uncle, who was in one of the biggest grins Reid had ever seen. "You look so adorable and appetizing on the floor, you know. What else can I do to you?"

Reid tried to call up his power, but nothing was there, again. _No, no, no, come back, please, come back. This can't be happening, no... _He opened his eyes and saw his uncle was gone, and tried to stand up. He was too shaky, and couldn't support himself for very long. He was on his elbows when his uncle came back, and a sharp snap along his back brought him back down onto the floor.

"You stupid, stupid boy." He felt something land across his head and yelled loudly. He momentarily lost feeling again throughout his body again could only feel his skull throbbing painfully.

When he did regain his surroundings, he felt his uncle moving him, but his hands, ankles, and neck had rope tied around it. He shifted his shoulders, putting up a weak attempt of a struggle. His uncle only laughed as he descended the stairs to the basement, Reid confused as hell what was going to happen. His uncle hated his basement, because it wasn't as bright. He left it completely bare. It still had the cement walls and floor, and three small windows. There were some boxes around, but other than that the place wasn't inviting.

When his uncle reached the bottom, he went for the furthest window and set Reid down, opened the window, and came back to Reid. His uncle pulled out one of the click-lighters, and grinned as he lit the rope at his ankles, wrists, and neck on fire. He began to yell and tried to blow it out, but it was no good. He could feel his skin begin to warm up and only yelled more, rolling onto his side to try to scrape the rope. His uncle struck him with the belt again on his side, causing Reid to roll back onto his back.

He moved his hands to put the fire out around his neck, and barely put some of it out when his uncle struck him again. Reid could feel the fire reaching his ankles and moved his legs, but the rope was still strong. He pulled at his neck again, but his uncle kept on whipping him. He didn't care though; as long as the fire was out he would be fine.

"You're just one continuous problem, Air," his uncle said, Reid hearing a click down by his ankles, then watched his uncle come up and make the fire larger on his wrist and neck. Reid yelled as his fingers were burned, but he only wanted the fire out. Ash from the rope flew up as Reid inhaled, causing him to begin coughing and momentarily forget about the rope. He felt his uncle hit him again, then heard voices.

His uncle managed to get a "What the hell?" out before he was flung against one of the far walls, knocked out for the moment. Reid began panicking about the fire again and rolled onto his side to try to scrape his wrists out. It didn't work that well, and he yelled when he felt cold hands grab at his wrists. "Pouge, go get some water, now!" Caleb called, and went back to trying to get the fire out as well. "It's okay Reid, we're here. We'll get you out."

Reid nodded and he felt his neck warming up dangerously. He began moving his head, which Caleb saw and swiped at the rope there, but Reid could feel that the flame had gotten too big. He wondered where Tyler was briefly, before attacking the rope with his hands. "Reid! Don't do that. You'll only burn yourself!"

"I don't care. Get it off!" Reid said, almost hysterical.

"Pouge!" Caleb yelled, and heard a "I'm coming," from the stairs.

Reid barely saw Pouge come over with a pitcher, and he carefully dumped the water onto Reid's neck, wrists, and ankles. Together, the two of them got Reid out of the rope quickly, as Reid began to calm down. He saw that his wrists and ankles were bright red, and the skin was tender to the touch, but he knew he would heal.

He looked at Caleb and Pouge, suddenly ashamed, and looked away, saying "Sorry about this."

"Tyler!" Caleb called, and Reid saw that Tyler had been watching over his uncle. Tyler walked over, Caleb asking, "How much longer do you think he'll be out?"

"I think a few more minutes. What do you have planned?"

Tyler's face paled as he looked at Reid, causing Reid to look away and want his shirts. He felt his head, and noticed his hat was off, as well as his gloves. _They all better be with my shirt. Uncle hates them more than any other of my clothes._

"We're going to have a talk with him. I would think down here would be most appropriate." Caleb looked at Reid. Softly, he asked, "Reid, do you want to go clean up a bit?"

Reid nodded, and slowly stood up. "Do you need some help?" Pouge asked.

Reid shook his head. "No, I think I'll be fine..." He slowly moved away, unable to move much of his chest or back. He climbed the stairs, and as he reached the top, the room began to spin, causing him to lean against the wall for a few seconds. When he felt ready, he went into the kitchen and saw his hat and gloves next to his shirt. He grabbed those and went into the bedroom he was so used to, and went into the bathroom to see how badly he looked.

He first saw that his old, bloodstained rag was still on the towel rack and picked that up, then looked in the mirror instead of waiting until later. He was pale, and there was more blood in his hair than there was anywhere else. He cleaned his chest and back the best that he could, and then worked on his head, which he could still feel bleeding.

When he finished, he looked at his neck more closely, and saw that it was basically a second degree burn. _That'll be gone by next week. I can deal with that. If he _had_ succeeded though, it definitely wouldn't heal that fast. _The one problem Reid had with healing, was burn scars. Those, he found out, took months to disappear than simply two, or even three weeks. And people noticed those the most. If he had a burn scar around his neck and wrists, people would notice and question, then question again in a few months when they saw it was gone.

_Got off lucky right there..._ He turned around slowly and hung the rag back up, feeling weaker than when he had entered the bathroom. He grabbed his shirt off of the dresser that he had placed it on and carefully put it back on, as well as his gloves. Since his head was still bleeding, he didn't want to put his beanie back on yet. He slowly made it across the kitchen, having a hard time breathing as well as focusing on the ground and items around him. When he reached the stairs, he looked down and almost fell.

"Tyler," he called the best that he was able too, and soon saw his friend coming up the stairs. He leaned against the wall until Tyler was closer, than asked, "Is he awake yet?"

"Yeah, he is. Caleb's lecturing him. Dude, are you okay? Do you need help down the stairs? You look like you're about to pass out."

Reid gave a slight smile. "Passing out sounds so good right now..."

"Here, let me help you." Tyler was careful and helped Reid down the stairs the best he could, telling him when to take a step, since to Reid, it looked like they were walking down a slide. At the bottom, Reid looked around, and saw Caleb and Pouge standing in front of his uncle. Once closer, Reid could see that his uncle was actually near tears, Reid only guessing from pain.

"So, how do you feel about the situation now?"

"It was worthwhile in the long run." Caleb slammed a ball of power into his uncle, and Reid nearly collapsed when he heard his uncle cry out in pain.

"How about now?"

"My opinion isn't going to change. Everything that I have done to him has been worthwhile. I would not change a thing in my past. Except that I should have killed him sooner, if I knew you three were going to show up."

Pouge intervened. "Reid is our Brother. We are going to stand by each other to the best of our abilities and help him when he is in need. If we had known about this sooner, trust me, we would have been here long ago."

His uncle grinned. "At least I've done a good job training him over the past five years, if he just now has spoken. And by the looks of it, it wasn't by choice." His uncle grinned, causing Reid to feel his power for a brief moment and grab onto it. He held it long enough to shoot the strongest wave that he could, before collapsing. Tyler grabbed onto him before he hit the ground, but he at least noticed his uncle had a harder time breathing.

"Air, you couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag," his uncle said, chuckling.

Pouge and Caleb both lost it and both shot their powers at him at the same time. Tyler set Reid on the floor and asked, "Are you going to be okay?"

Reid nodded, but his mind was slowly shutting down. "Yeah...just give me a minute." _I need to remain strong, or at least until we leave. They've all seen me under worse conditions, but I can't be seen giving into my uncle. Just breathe and pull through another couple of minutes. It'll be fine._

He opened his eyes and looked at Tyler, but his sight was blurry. "Okay, I'm good."

He stood up on his own, but couldn't stand straight. Tyler helped support him again, and they went back and saw Jarrod unconscious. Reid was pleased with the scene; Jarrod was bleeding from his nose, and his right arm seemed to be broken, as well as his leg. He was pissed that he couldn't have done any of that, but in his current state, it only would've made his condition worse.

"Let's head back upstairs," Caleb suggested, disgust in the presence of his words. At the top, with Tyler's help, Caleb asked, "Do you have everything you need Reid?"

Reid first made sure that he still had his beanie, then when he found it hanging out of his back pocket, he said, "Yeah, I'm good. Let's go."

As they left the house, Reid felt better. His mind was still fuzzy, but he did better of walking on his own. Tyler didn't leave his side, but if Reid missed his step, Tyler caught him. Reid saw that Caleb had parked behind his truck, but as Reid was going for his truck, Caleb said, "Reid, are you sure you're well enough to drive six hours back?"

"Ah..."

"You can barely walk straight and... Why do you still have blood on the back of your head?"

"Ah..." Reid gently felt the back of his head, and the area was still tender, but he didn't think there was a mark. _That may be why I can think a little bit better. _"I had a cut that he gave me, and it just healed I think."

"I don't believe that you're well enough to drive though."

He rolled his eyes, and saw Pouge and Tyler watching him. "I'll drive him," they both offered at the same time. Since Tyler was closest, Reid sighed and pulled out his keys, and tossed them to him. They both turned and walked to the truck, Caleb and Pouge getting into the mustang. Tyler started the truck and Reid got in, not liking how he wasn't allowed to drive his own vehicle. _But it's what uncle wanted; he wanted me to drive home and get into a wreck. At least this way he's stuck in his own misery._

"Go to sleep Reid. You'll feel better by the time we get back to the dorms."

Reid gave in without saying a word. He put his beanie back on so he wouldn't get blood all over his seats and laid his head against his window. The cool glass felt good, and within seconds he was out.

XX——X——XX

Tyler nudged him awake when they arrived back at the school, and for once Reid had slept fairly well. He noted where Tyler parked his truck, and saw Caleb and Pouge not that far away. The two went to meet up with them, Reid now able to walk on his own, and Caleb looked at Reid, before simply asking, "Is that what he would normally do to you?"

Reid shook his head. "The belt was, but the burning ropes was a new one. He figured out I feared fire when I was fourteen. He hasn't used it since because it was way too obvious. Normally I can heal scars within days to weeks depending on what it is, but burn scars take months and that was too long for him. So, he stuck with smaller things that didn't take as long."

"But the belt was normal?"

"Yeah."

Reid turned and walked back to the dorms, still a little tired. _I probably have another concussion, but I don't think it's as bad as the other ones. It'll be gone by tomorrow afternoon, I hope. _Tyler, Caleb, and Pouge caught up to him, and they all walked silently to the third floor. They bid each other good night, even though it was almost ten and a Saturday night, but Reid didn't care. He just wanted to relax and get over the pain. His chest and back weren't hurting horribly, but they'd be throbbing for the next few days.

He grabbed a pair of clothes and his bath things, telling Tyler he was going to take a shower. Tyler nodded, changing for bed as well. Reid walked down the hall and stepped into the showers, stripping down. He turned on lukewarm water and stepped under, careful of his burns. They stung more than any other part of his body, but he has had second degree burns before. It was just a matter of remembering how to treat them properly.

Reid washed all of the blood off of himself and tried to be as quick as possible. He felt much better though, as well as relaxed, and quickly dried off and changed into his pajamas. He went back to the room and saw Tyler reading a book for their English class.

"You look a little more relaxed," he said, Reid giving a small smile.

"I feel a bit more relaxed. It'll be a while though until my burns heal, and I'm not happy about that."

Tyler looked at him. "They're not that bad. I'm sure they hurt worse than they appear."

Reid nodded, digging through his clothes to find a wife beater. He knew he had plenty, but he generally threw them into random drawers. "Next time I'm in my OCD mood, tell me to clean out my dresser."

Tyler laughed. "Okay, and that'll be when? Next year?"

"Finals week. Or it can be your birthday gift to me."

"Yeah right. When you ascend you'll just whip your finger and they'll all sort themselves."

Reid made an exasperated sound, and found a black wife beater. His slipped off the t-shirt he had on and replaced it with the tank, and jumped onto his own bed.

"So, feel better now about everything?" Tyler asked.

"Actually, yes. Though you guys did come and save me as much as I needed it and didn't want it, I feel better knowing that some justice was done."

He saw Tyler nod out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah... And I've been thinking, since we found out you had left early, about what you said to me during...the time I wasn't quite myself." Reid looked over at him, and saw Tyler trying to remember. "You said something like, there are a lot of things we don't want to remember, and something about a spanking."

Reid smirked. "I remember that. I said that I could make the experience for you look like a spanking. But, that'd only be with everything over the years laid out consistently. I'm surprised you even remembered."

"I see. I think that seeing firsthand what he has done to you has helped us become closer as Brothers, and has helped me get over what has happened back...you know. I held back a lot of what I remembered, but I've dealt with it, and now we're all just...better."

Reid nodded. "Thanks for always being there for me, too. You have no idea how grateful I am."

"Same here, pal."

Reid knew that his relationship with Tyler would be stronger than with everyone else's, but with the events of the day and the past six weeks, he learned how to deal with Caleb and Pouge's quirks, as in Pouge will always be doubting others, including himself and Kate. As long as everyone remains positive, he'll be positive as well. As for Caleb, he was the oldest and the strongest. Therefore, he fell into the leader position, and because they all worked together so well, no one saw need to stand up and claim themselves as leader. There were only four of them; Caleb was just fine being head man.

_Hopefully everything is better off now. Chase is dead, we're out of the hospital, and we got revenge on uncle. Now I just have to worry about school, my shoulder, and my parents. I'm sure father's not going to be very happy when he learns about this event, but what's he going to do? Kick me out of the will? I already have a share of grandfather's fortune, so I'm set if worse comes to worse. But that's all to be worried about for later. For now, just sleep and enjoy what life I have at the moment._

* * *

Oh...my....god....is that the end??? AHHH!!!! I'm sad now :'( but i spent long hours working on this this past weekend since i was alone and in no mood to do homework. And then Fanfic was having weird problems and i haven't been allowed to log in the past like, four days. It's been annoying. Well. Here is the final installment, but, if you can persuade me to write an epilogue...i have some ideas....it'd be over Reid's b-day, but if you guys would like that, or have something else in mind, let me know :P  
I'm really sorry about the long wait--though it hasn't been two months yet XD hehe. But yea, i hope this is long enough, and i hope that everything is tied up with this to everyone's satisfaction. And if i missed anything grammer wise, i apologize cus i'm rolling on 27 hours, no sleep :) and my day isn't near over yet....yeah... I promise i'll be better about replying this chapter...SORRY!!! And i want to thank everyone who has reviewed. If i write the epilogue, i'll make a list ;) but yeah.... Thanks all!!! You guys rock for sticking with this to the end. And, i have a video that i'm sorta making for this, and a song for it, that actually got me writing this. But. Ignoring my own novel that i'm writing here. Please review and let me know what you think!!! Love ya!!!

~~Jordan**


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